Vividness
by Judah
Summary: What if the Princess of Arabasta had fighting ability matching her great heart?
1. Vivid1 The Beginning

Disclaimer: One Piece is the creation of master artist Eiichiro Oda. Other affiliated organizations who own partial rights include '4 Kids TV' and 'Shounen Jump.' This is a derivative work of fanfiction not for profit. These disclaimers will not be repeated again and apply to all posted parts of this work.

Author's Disclaimer: May have late teen-level issues later. Has in-character vulgarity. This is hobbyist fan-fiction, not a thesis. Over-analyzing will waste your time and annoy the monkey (that's me). Constructive criticism is welcome (please be specific). If you have a point, I will edit. If you are an asshole, I will block your comments and reviews, but you can still put this fic in a C2 with a mocking title and show this monkey who is a boss monkey. I have read the translated manga and watched fansubs, so if my names are incorrect, please tell me. Finally, this is my 'writer's block fic' and may not be completed. I don't want to go too AU, so if I ever catch up with the manga, I'll likely write filler adventures or stop entirely until Oda reveals more of his wonderful world. 'Vividness' is being written because I've never read a decent non-crossover piece of fanfiction for One Piece. Please enjoy the story and thank you for reading.

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_The Beginning_

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The beginning of my path started long, long ago, but even as a child I didn't want to be pushed around. My first clear memory is winning a fight. Not exactly what you'd expect from a spoiled princess, whose father oversees an island kingdom of more than two million people. Specifically I remember taking a punch to my face. That punch woke me up from my life of bliss. It echoed through my forehead, and I found myself on the floor.

It happened in the audience hall of our palace, full of white marble and arid desert breezes. Some bratty village headman's son insulted King Cobra's rule. I accept his challenge, defending my beloved father.

He wasn't an ordinary child. His gang of village idiots, who he had beaten one by one in earlier dominance brawls, circled us to watch my humiliation. They kept cheering on their leader.

In the back of my mind, I heard Igaram tell my father of the fight, but they dismissed it as a child fight, one where I could not be truly hurt. Whatever lesson they hoped not interfering would teach me, it wasn't what I learned.

Looking back now, I rushed in blindly, angry and hurt at that stupid boy for insulting everything that meant anything in my life. He dodged my flailing hands and let me have it, right in the mouth. On the floor I started to cry when something changed in my heart.

It stuck me then, as a child. I could fight for what I believed in, fight with the depths of my heart for what mattered, and fight to prove myself to myself. Or I could stay on the floor, crying, and let other people save me.

Maybe in another universe I stayed down and got over the humiliation of calling that stupid bratty asshole Kohza 'leader' for the rest of my life. I was dressed in my cute blue little-girl dress that matched my hair. I still remember that, because it allowed that dumb brat to jump over the ankle kick I totally telegraphed.

Seriously, I might as well have written on my underwear 'if you see these, she's a kickin!' That damn ass-brat managed to turn his dodge into a kick in my face. I took it right on the chin.

The white marble felt slick and warm. Looking back on these memories, it's because I was bleeding. That ass-brat Kohza split my lip wide open with his crappy brown desert sandal.

Father, headman Toto, Igaram, and Chaka kept yelling and holding each other back with excuses about interfering in our fight. Not Pell; even then Pell understood me. I heard the jeering laughter of the Suna-Suna brats as they celebrated another triumph of their leader.

My head spun, and I saw not one, but two leader-brats standing a foot away from me. As much as I hated standing back up, I hated being a crybaby girl sprawled on our floor ten thousand times more. Then the screaming words came as I heaved myself from my knees onto my feet.

"I am Vivi D. Nefertari, and you'll have to kill me before I'm defeated!"

"D? Where did that come from?" My father sounded confused, and stopped calling for an end to the kiddie fight. He wanted to see now too.

I ran forward, right at the wavering two-fold image of my nemesis – five-year-old Kohza. At the last instant, I ducked my head down, putting my entire body into the blow. His fist bounced off the top of my head, and my right knuckle went underneath his stomach into his soft solar plexus, doubling him up.

"I taught her that punch." Pell sounded amused in the sudden void of silence. The Suna-Suna brats had suddenly stopped their noise.

I kicked for all I was worth, and connected. Kohza went flying backwards to the floor, and so did I. My butt was a lot softer for landings, compared to the back of his head. When I stood up a third time, the same feeling of certainty deep in my heart spoke again.

"Girl, if you are going to kick in a fight, learn enough not to land on your ass." It said.

That day I decided I'd become strong, not only for Arabasta, but for myself. The consequences were much more than five-year-old me could have dreamed.

Kohza fell madly in love with me, and called seeing my panties before being knocked out by my kick a moment of spiritual awakening. The Suna-Suna clan dubbed me their new leader. I told them to keep calling perv-Kohza 'leader' and that I'd be their Princess-General. Igaram, Pell, Chaka, and I decided I'd be better off with some combat training (OK, that was me going to father and making them do it. That's why I was such spoiled princess… always getting my way.) Finally, I stopped wearing dresses and cut my hair shorter.

My real test came two years later, when a gang tried kidnapping me for ransom.

We, my Suna-Suna minions and I, were exploring an old run down area only four miles from the castle proper. I no longer really remember our purpose, but it was probably a game of tag, follow the leader, or hide-and-seek. Nothing important, children at play.

Perv-Kohza wouldn't leave me alone, but I'd grown tolerant enough of him that we'd worked out a relationship. It basically involved me telling him to get something, such as food, water, a storybook, flowers, or a weapon when he got annoying. He never complained, and looked overjoyed whenever I gave him my attention. He had it bad, and I exploited him.

So suddenly a group of large over muscled adults interrupted whatever game little me, Kohza, and a couple Suna-Suna brats had going. I still remember thinking they were crap compared to our palace guards, but that didn't matter. Even a wimpy man can easily handle a small child, or so you would think.

It's been so long, I can't remember how the fight went. I remember being terrified and determined. Oh, and infuriated. Half the Suna-Suna brats scattered in the face of the enemy. The other half, ignored my orders involving a calculated attack and charged, only to be battered away with contemptuous fists. Basically, my loyal minions weren't up to snuff, and I decided then and there any group I'd truly belong with needed both fighting spirit and battle intelligence.

So yeah, back to terrified little Princess me. Kohza was actually sort of brave; he pulled out a knife. Well, I don't remember him having the knife, so maybe he grabbed it from the attackers. Three of the legion of Suna-Suna kids weren't stupid jerkoffs. They pelted my kidnappers with rocks and debris from the area atop a stone staircase in the ruins. It slowed them, made some drop their weapons and protect their faces.

Yeah I remember more now. It was how I got my first sword.

So the kidnappers scattered because the kids scattered, but the biggest baddest one came at us. Why? Because Kohza taunted him, that's why! Did I ever let him have it for that later.

However it happened, Kohza came up with a knife and slashed the lead thug with it. Brave, foolish, and sweet of him. At that point in our encounter, the other worthless men had been driven off with the rocks, or left chasing Suna-Suna girls, being unsure which of us was the real Princess. I sure didn't look the part anymore.

His own blood infuriated the boss thug. He got Kohza's timing down, and kicked him straight in the ribs with full strength. It lifted perv-Kohza's pathetic little-boy body up in the air and sent the bloody knife flying.

It also gave me the perfect opening to hamstring the bastard with a short sword I picked up from earlier, when the men dropped weapons to shield themselves from rocks. When Kohza decided to offer his valiance up for my sake, he expected an escape on my part.

What a moron. I'm the leader. That means I don't abandon my idiot minions, however they might deserve it. I used his distraction to sneak around the fight until I'd gotten into a good position.

It would have worked out great if the rest of the gang didn't show up and overwhelm me right after I took out bossman. The Suna-Suna brats proved too smart for them, and they had arrived just in time for my coup de grace. Yeah, they didn't take it well.

I slashed one of them imprecisely with my stolen sword, and he parried with a wooden club. The sword stuck in the club, got yanked out of my hands, and the men started beating the crap out of me. After about an eternity of this, that I'm told last a couple minutes only, the royal guard showed up and handled things.

The end of this encounter showed me that gaining power the normal way wasn't cutting it. I almost died. So I made up my mind to eat a devil fruit. It took me three months of convincing my father, but as a spoiled brat, I got my way. A devil fruit auction was happening around the next convocation of the World Government kings, and I talked my way into Arabasta's entourage.

I had a feeling father would demand my presence as a future lesson in statecraft, but instead he opposed the idea. Since he knew I wanted badly to go, he attached conditions. For the first time in two years my wardrobe changed into dresses, and I went a month without a haircut. From the perspective of a tomboy princess, it sucked.

The trip over has been shoved into that dark dank corner of my mind reserved for extremely unpleasant experiences. It was worse than being stuck in bed for two months after breaking both my legs by jumping off a building's roof during training.

The etiquette training, conversational skills, and calligraphy - who knew such horrors existed in the world? In a small cramped cabin, with no escape. I endured; I had to.

The details of the royal meetings flew by in no time. As excited as I was about becoming a power, I managed not to embarrass my father during the first part of the talks. Basically, I lingered with Igaram while father talked about nothing with ugly and important men.

Night brought me to the auction. I had seriously underestimated the allure of mysterious devil fruit powers, because it seemed like representatives from every damn kingdom were vying for the fruits of the devil. They were noisy, loud, rude, and bumped into little me in her cute blue princess dress without regard.

Whoever put together the auction during the summit had made their fortunes. What island kingdom wouldn't want the military advantage of devil powers?

According to the item guide, thirteen devil fruits were up for bidding. Other odds and ends associated with mysterious powers were also in the listings. The auctioneers had three Marine vice-admirals on hand to keep the order and collect payments. Apparently the organizers had negotiated a deal with the World Government involving a cut of the spoils in exchange for legal enforcement.

I didn't care about details. What I really cared about is some oily man had just oozed past dragging an ugly looking panda-like son. The brat managed a solid elbow into my floating ribs. Doubled-up in pain, I vowed a special, heartfelt promise. If I ever met panda-face again, he would regret it.

A professional looking man in a suit escorted them, and finally he became fed-up with the obstacles in his way. He said 'CP5' in a loud voice, and suddenly the rowdy princes and viceroys scuttled out of his way like beetles crawling away from an overturned rock.

As if their presence was the signal for the auction to begin, it started.

The empire of Arabasta was small time in this room full of desperate power hungry fools. As much as it pains me, I must also classify my spoilt self with the rest of the trash. I wanted a devil fruit more than anything in the world.

My government only had a few million beli for their Princess's play money. Daddy was going to have an impossible time hiding even that much. So when the first seven fruits all finished in the tens of millions I was appalled. The CP5 jerkoff had bought most of them too.

Some of the people started to leave after the eighth fruit sold. Apparently all the non-paramecia fruits were gone, and the elites thought those devil fruits were weak. Whatever. The bids did start finishing under ten million beli, but we didn't even have that much to work with.

Igaram bid on the Skin-Skin Fruit, the Balloon-Balloon Fruit, the Paper-Paper Fruit, and some silly fruit involving candy syrup. We lost them all. The other fruits had powers so strange and stupid that even desperate me wanted no piece of them. We could have won the Booger-Booger Fruit, but I certainly didn't want my body to turn into mucus. Yuck.

So the people with real money packed up and left at that point. The winner of the Ballon-Ballon Fruit ate it then and there, complained about it tasting like rubber pudding, and floated off. She'd always wanted the ability to fly. So did I, and I still remember my intense jealousy and hatred for that lucky bitch.

Like the rest of the dregs, we stayed behind. Surviving incalculable boredom and mastering useless skills for months had been my price of admission. Damned if I wasn't staying for the bitter end.

The rest of the items were not complete devil fruits. They had weaponized forms of Zoan fruits, such as an elephant sword and doggy guns. They had the rinds of eaten fruits, used for research by interested scientists or mystics. They had sea stone objects for combating devil fruit powers.

Igaram could tell how sad I was that my dream went unfulfilled. He offered to buy me an intelligent weapon, but at that point I already had Carue. In my mind he fit that bill perfectly, and I didn't need to bankrupt my kingdom for another object like him. Plus he might get jealous, and it was bad enough catering to my Super-Duck, much less some stupid weapon. No thanks.

That crap went by, some not even getting bids. A gun that wasn't even housebroken, and tended to fire bullets randomly while ruining the carpets was the biggest stinker. Not just because it peed on the auctioneer.

Then the clouds of misery cleared and salvation beckoned. Or was that my damnation? As much as I think the devil himself is myth, who can know such a thing?

Like a thunderbolt across the clear desert sky, it shocked me into action. I still remember the description and back-and-forth the mouse-faced auctioneer rattled off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming into the final stretch. This next item is the Mystery Mystery Fruit. The good folks at our R&D branch have experimented extensively on it, and while it has the whorls indicative of a devil fruit, it is not classified into any of the known types."

"Bullshit! Why wasn't it on the main ticket then?" Yelled some dude wearing a pink feather boa. I think he was a pirate.

The auctioneer produced the purported devil fruit.

It did indeed have strange whorls on it, but each of the whorls were different colors, and appeared to shift around in a strange rainbow-like hypnotic pattern. The main fruit itself was a shiny, oily wrinkly black, like a huge raisin. More importantly though, half of the Mystery Fruit was missing; it looked to be bisected with a sharp knife. The pulp inside was purplish, with more of the strange shifting whorls.

"As you can see, we couldn't sell it with the other fruits because there is no guarantee you'll inherit any sort of power from eating it. The Mystery Mystery Fruit defies classification. We know it is not logia, and the techniques for weaponizing were useless with the samples we cut away for that purpose. It is entirely possible one of those took in some fashion and this fruit is useless."

"What a bunch of crap." Said a man wearing an emerald fedora. He was standing right next to us, and observing the auction carefully.

"You mean this item is a fake?" I asked him, ignoring the auctioneer.

He turned and looked at me; surprised a little girl was in such a sordid place.

"No, you don't want that thing kid, trust me on that. What you see is one of the true fruits of the devil. It carries an aura of doom and destruction. I'm the one who found it, just like I found the other fruits at this auction. It's already killed once, and the last thing a cute girl like you needs is such terrible power."

I don't know if the guy read me as an easy mark, but young stupid me thought terrible powers and doom auras sounded like ass kicking fun. Over Igaram's objections, I made him get it for me. Only 150,000 beli – we bid unopposed.

Then the auction was over, and we had a fight on our hands. The man in the green hat reserved the right not to sell his Mystery Mystery Fruit if he didn't think the winner deserved it. Apparently he expected some stupid pirate would want the prize, not an innocent little girl.

Whatever.

While he and Igaram were arguing, I calmly walked over to the Mystery Mystery Fruit and chowed down by sticking the entire thing in my mouth. Even to this day, I have never eaten anything more delicious and more revolting. Tart and sweet like honey covered chocolate dates, yet firm and consistent like the best baked bread. Stomach wrenching like duck urine mixed with day old vomit, sourness greater than a thousand lemons, charred undercooked meat, spoiled mayonnaise and dirt, earwax. My tongue kept telling my brain I was eating tons of garbage and gourmet foods at once, changing in mid chew. When it settled in my stomach I felt oddly fulfilled. I didn't vomit, had no queasiness, rather my body felt a brief and mysterious tingle. My pact with the devil was sealed.

In later years, I'd ask others how their fruits tasted. The nicest thing they said was 'nasty' except for those who swallowed them whole and didn't get to truly taste. I didn't feel that way about mine; eating it felt 'extreme' - it pushed my taste buds into uncharted territory, and I think perhaps the ordinary person is unprepared. I always tell the curious that I enjoyed experiencing the complex taste. No, it wasn't only nice or pleasant, but nothing worthwhile in life is, especially if you work hard to earn it, like I earned that flavor.

So, I had accomplished my purpose – to eat a devil fruit and hopefully acquire miraculous powers.

Too bad things aren't always what we wish. Right after I finished, Igaram and treasure hunter man noticed what I'd been up to.

Both were furious.

They told me the real reason why only half the fruit was there – the first person who tried eating the thing killed himself because the powers made his body self-destruct in terrible agony. Then a new Mystery Mystery Fruit blossomed in the secret location where they'd found the first. They tried and failed to weaponize the new one. Great. I couldn't care less. I didn't believe in the curse of the devil, and I was floating on happiness from meeting a life goal.

The short version is I had Mystery Mystery powers. Go me!

The long version – I'd regret my impulsive actions for years.

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-o-

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Author's Worldbuilding Notes:

The Will of D may allow fruit users to have benefits regarding their abilities. Marshal D Teach actually stole an additional logia ability, but it's debatable as to whether it was because of the Will or because he (and his ability) is that awesome. (Also in movie 9, Wapol used his Eat-Eat fruit to assimilate another power… ) In order to help fit 'surviving' the MM fruit, I gave Vivi the Will of D (which fits into my 'for-want-of-a-nail' change). It is not my intention for her to become a God-Sue, and if you think this is happening, please bitch me out in reviews.

Finally, yes, two people can have similar devil powers. Marigold and Sandersonia Boa on the Isle of Women both ate Hebi Hebi Fruits (Model: King Cobra and Model: Anaconda). OMG canon! I go with what Oda has drawn in actual story as opposed to what Oda has said (years earlier) in fan interviews. The MM fruit isn't 'stealing' other fruit powers; it's copying them through it's own template at extremely low and localized efficiency without 'safeties'. If it helps, you can think of it as a Clone-Clone fruit, but evil. When Oda has Dr. Vegapunk finally explain what devil fruits are (and for that matter the Will of D), I'll try adapting story explanation to fit into context.


	2. Vivid2 The Kiss of Death

_The Kiss of Death_

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"Oh crap, I touched her already, and it's active!" The man in the emerald fedora who yanked me away from the shell of the Mystery Mystery Fruit looked heartbroken.

"What do mean?" Yelled Igaram, who had missed the man's explanation of why the fruit was a danger. He had been paying attention to the auctioneer, a clear violation of his duty as captain of the guard and babysitter. I never told on him.

"That evil fruit does nothing by itself. For the fool that eats it, whenever she touches another devil fruit, or devil fruit user, she'll get a scrap of power. Permanently."

"Woo-hoo!" I danced happily in a circle, a cursed fool, celebrating my new ability. Now I needed to find Balloon-Balloon girl, and all would be right in this world. My fierce joy would not last, but I can still recall that intense, happy burst of fulfillment.

"What nefarious power do you have sir?" Igaram sounded nervous.

The man who tried saving me from my fate took off his hat, and he was old. His youth was an illusion hidden by that bright green hat. He had a spiked crown of brown hair atop a bald head and an unremarkable face that looked sad. He looked like broken king.

"I ate the Sniff-Sniff Fruit. You may know it as the Devil's Due. My power and geas is to seek out other devil fruits from wherever they might be hidden, and distribute them. If I don't, my body turns against me, a slow damnation."

"What does that mean for Vivi?" Said Igaram.

"That Mystery-Mystery Fruit she ate was growing in mid-air above the All Blue. Of the fruits I've found, it is the strangest by far. It's not even in the official books! Jackson, my best friend and twenty-years partner in enterprise, had decided to retire after that trip; I need a normal man for backup because I'm a hammer. He chose that fruit as part of his share.

"He waited until we returned before eating it; no sense in making us both hammers while on the job. It was in the middle of my personal storage warehouse, where I hide fruits which are fatal. I don't mean apocalyptic logia, I mean failures like the zoan minnow fruit, where you can't breathe air and also can't swim. Jackson touched at least fifty different devil fruits, sharing in, perhaps absorbing part of their power. He found fruits I had hidden because they were essentially death. Whatever abilities the Mystery-Mystery Fruit grants, they don't include the typical protective mechanisms."

The man stopped his story in shock, and removed my hand from his.

"It is as I feared, child – you can now recognize devil fruit powers when they are close to you, and are driven to them. You won't be able to escape yourself."

It was weird. I didn't want to touch creepy crown-spike head auction guy, but somehow, my body felt a need to do so, and there I went. An unconscious compulsion I had absorbed from the Sniff-Sniff fruit, or so thought the two men. I never corrected them.

Much later I reasoned out the Mysterious Fruit must have it's own drives, for I hadn't absorbed any powers at that point, but was still driven.

"Wait, what do you mean 'no protective mechanism?' Said Igaram.

"The Mystery Mystery Fruit only absorbs a small portion of devil's powers. If she were to touch a man made of fire, her skin would burn, but she couldn't become fire enough to protect herself. It would be agony."

"Wait a second, I didn't sign up for this." My second thoughts came a little too late.

"What can we do?" Igaram sounded resigned.

"Sea stone. But that is a temporary solution if she expects a normal life. Above all, keep her away from Zoan users; she could become a mish-mash abomination if she starts touching them."

Igaram carried me out of the auction room, so I couldn't touch any other bedeviled objects. The sea stone cigarette lighter we'd bought from the leftovers sapped my energy and made me weak, but I still felt dozens of object pulling me. We never saw the Sniff-Sniff guy again.

My father was furious at me. Though he wasn't happy with Igaram either.

It wasn't about the money. Using the kingdom's money for a military advantage was a common practice among Grand Line kingdoms. Arabasta had recently received an offer from one of the Shichibukai, the sanctioned pirates, emigration in return for protection. He hadn't wanted to take it, but now it looked unavoidable. Recently, the random pirate attacks against our fair coastal cities had worsened.

Since my bid for power failed spectacularly, I wasn't taking up pirate hunting in the name of Arabasta anytime soon.

Still, King Cobra couldn't afford appearing weak at the World Government council, so the next day they took away my sea stone device and told me to stand behind father's chair during the meeting, next to Igaram. To this day, I refuse to wear clothing without pockets because of what happened. Chaka had been banned from my presence, and so I lacked a competent bodyguard. Pell remained in Arabasta, but had been informed with a secure Den Den Mushi. The friendly Zoan users I knew of were neutralized.

During the lunch break, I received my Kiss of Death.

Our dear neighbor from Drum Island, that fatass hippo-loving Wapol, decided to make a power play by intimidating little nine year old princess me.

We were out in a large courtyard area eating lunch on an elevated grassy area underneath a shade tree, and Wapol and his corrupt entourage came lumbering directly for Igaram and I, like some rampaging animal herd. Igaram, hypersensitive from yesterday's debacle, saw the danger. He tried pulling me out of the way, but some foreign force possessed my body and I didn't move.

The compulsion struck. It held me after the auction, and I suspect it is not from the Devil's Due, but a failsafe built into the Mysterious Fruit to force the wielder into power. It made me hold my ground as the King of Fatasses came over, smacked me out of the way, and ate my lunch.

Right after he bitch-slapped me away from the food, my lips turned silver, and remained so. Wapol controlled the power of the Eat-Eat fruit, a power that allowed him dominance over Drum Island. He could chew through anything, and use the material he'd eaten in strange deadly ways. He could recombine structures as well, making him a walking cannon munching armada.

Whatever. The bastard stole my lunch, bitch-slapped me, called me a stupid little desert hippo-princess, and I had to apologize to him for being in his way because Arabasta didn't want a pointless war. Wapol rather enjoyed pointless war, and was looking for one during the conference.

Yeah, it sucked so bad even incomparable Princess Vivi D. Nefertari broke out in messy tears after such a traumatic experience. I was only nine. What made me cry wasn't being bullied, but the injustice of not having power. Because of Arabasta's political situation, I had to take the abuse of that corrupt despot, and not kick his wide hipporiffic ass.

The first sign of my new power came when Igaram wiped my face with his handkerchief. When he touched my lips with the cloth, the white cotton dissolved. This surprised us both so much that I touched my own lips with a finger of my left hand in shock.

Did I ever scream. At least I didn't lose the finger, though I had a bad acid burn. I guess I should be grateful my lips didn't sink into my face and liquefy my brain, but having Eat powers prevents one from eating their own lips, teeth, and tongue. I guess it's a fundamental principle of eating that you need a mouth.

So yeah, that's how I got the Kiss of Death, and why I use sea stone chopsticks for meals. Thankfully we had enough money for that expensive necessity, which was still available from the unsold auction items. My father made me trade in the seastone cigarette lighter, scared I'd develop pyromania. I never even got to use it!

Still, the chopsticks were vital. Nothing is more annoying that biting through your fork accidentally, especially when you'll give yourself mega poisoning because you can't digest metal.

The trip back to Arabasta was hell. I mean I couldn't help it that I moved in my sleep and my lips started dissolving whatever they touched. Father made me sleep with sea stone pressed against my silver lips with a tight tied cloth. In addition to being uncomfortable, it made me weak.

The power of kissing any confinement or obstacle into oblivion is not convenient when you can't turn the damn thing off. I destroyed my favorite pillow, the one with the cute yellow duckies, when I forgot myself and collapsed in bed crying against it.

They put Chaka on a separate ship, so circumstances would not tempt me. Igaram played nursemaid, and I overheard more than one argument about how I might no longer be suitable as the Princess of Arabasta, thanks to my weird new powers.

Unacceptable.

At nearly ten years old, I had my second moment of willful awakening. Sure, my life totally sucked because I insisted on gaining the powers of the devil. I took responsibility, accepted the blame. This might be remarkable for child to do, but I can't judge; I've never thought any other way.

By my will, I decided the next life goal I had was not letting the devil drag me under. I was hammer. I could no longer swim. I could no longer use face make-up on or near my lips (trust me, this hurts when you are a young girl). The sea stone I needed to eat and rest normally with sapped energy from my body, and even sleeping had become an ordeal. My father had doubt I remained fit as Arabasta's next leader.

Looked hopeless.

"I am Vivi D. Nefertari! I swear these powers are nothing, compared against my will. I will make this the best thing that every happened to me. I'll become strong. This I swear!"

No one heard that inspiring vow but me, because I was so damn weak I could barely whisper. I heard, and it was enough. Not even the Kiss of Death could stop my will.

Sounds great, right? Keeping that resolution was a billion times harder than making it.

My addled little brain didn't realize the only way back into normal life was suffering. Because given my other options, the only one that made any sense was learning and fighting the sea stone for my life. The rest of my life.

I made myself get up, despite the sea stone. Every day. At first I could barely take two steps before collapsing back onto the bed. Still, by the end of our voyage of weeks, I could walk around the ship for about ten minutes.

Father and Igaram decided to tell the people at home I'd contracted a wasting sickness at sea, one I was slowly overcoming. It wasn't far from the truth.

Chaka and Pell were forbidden from my presence, and that hurt more than anything. It made me give up on the idea of Pell as my future husband. Yet another little girl dream my impulsive thirst for power had destroyed.

The Suna-Suna remnants felt sorry for me, those that hadn't moved away seeking unsettled territory at my father's behest. They tried cheering me up, but their pity made me sad and more determined. Oddly, the one I turned to for comfort, I had ignored most of life.

My Super-Duck, Carue. Up until that time, Carue and I did not like each other. When they gave him to me, I thought he was cowardly and stupid and would never help me get strong. While cute in a baby-animal way, he smelled like pond scum and he'd crapped on the dress I was wearing at the time. Instant dislike. Now that I could no longer swim or walk far, having a faithful Super-Duck appealed to me.

It took a couple months of bringing him ducky treats and talking nice, but Carue came around. We became close friends, and he took me places I could no longer visit without collapsing from exhaustion. It was the beginning of a beautiful team, though Carue was never my equal, more like a trusty sidekick. Not that I'd hurt his feelings by saying it.

My ordeal would last nearly two years, and it isn't something another devil fruit user could duplicate. Mysterious powers again.

The end drew nigh when I woke up one morning, nearly back to my normal self. The day before, I had finally resumed my physical training, and was I ever pathetic. After carefully washing up, I realized what was wrong – the sea stone gag I spent my nights with was dirty, and the expensive mineral was missing.

For an hour I thought the lump of rock had fallen somewhere in my room when I awoke, and searched. Then I thought someone had stolen it, and called Igaram. He alerted the guards.

The truth scared me, and showed me my Mysterious Powers had finally started being useful. Such a truth would shock those prestigious researchers who make their careers on studying the powers of the devil for military advantage.

What happened was impossible.


	3. Vivid3 The Will of D

_The Will of D_

* * *

Not even the impossible stops directed will. This reinforced my spoiled princess mentality, in a strange way. It helped me leap from spoiled little girl into a responsible young woman.

Nothing changes your life like doing the impossible, realizing what holding unlimited power and unconstrained potential means.

My sea stone wasn't lost, stolen, or vanished. It had crumbled into dust, dissolved in the face of my Mysterious powers.

No, not only dissolved. I had absorbed its power, and it became part of me. An impossible feat, for everyone in this world knows sea stone and devil fruit powers are strictly incompatible, anathema. Sea stone is a restraining mechanism, a check against the powers of the devil - has been for centuries - and never has any cursed person developed immunity.

This became my greatest secret, a final unadvertised advantage. I kept silent, when I understood. I pretended my suffering had earned and learned control, and I no longer needed my nighttime seastone crutch. Of course, I might not be unique at all; maybe another devil-fruit user with absorber type powers shares this strange immunity to sea stone. No one understands the rarest fruits.

Yes, this miracle I attributed to my will remains a partial mystery, even to me. Maybe it's how the Mystery Mystery Fruit is works? If it existed in perfect balance, levitating in air above the All-Blue, perhaps sea stone is meant as it's balancer. Who knows? With a shard of the ocean's powers inside me, I gained the ability to turn off what I absorb. An imperfect technique. My silver lips may still dissolve my own flesh, should I forget myself.

But I could touch them again.

My silver lips felt smooth and my tongue strange and rubbery. I remember my tongue beings slick and slimy, when I touched it as younger girl. In turning off the powers of Eat, my mouth no longer produced saliva, and speaking became more difficult. Tradeoffs and drawbacks. I have never been able to throw away my special chopsticks, or enjoy a good kiss.

If I turn off the powers of Sniff, breathing becomes harder, the very air smothering me underneath an invisible blanket. I don't like turning off that ability, but with it on, I'm drawn to devil abilities, like an addict or junkie or psychic. Pell and Chaka actually ran from me, big bad Zoan users terrified of touching a little girl, as I experimented with turning down my sensitivity and range. That is how I found Arabasta's secret.

Ah, but more on that later, I had broken my long convalescence and returned into palace life. Sure, I had made public appearances, but only as a crippled invalid while riding Carue. I missed out on much, because my body, weakened by seastone, could not cope. I have never mastered riding a desert ship, never learned the beautifully hypnotic combat dances based around Arabastan perfume, and I never mastered the butterfly stroke on a desert beach, held in my father's arms.

After suffering through my folly of seeking power without being aware of the consequences, the country I came back into was vastly different. The atmosphere changed.

A movement had erupted calling for the disinheritance of King Cobra's family. Me. The basis? No good heir for the throne existed. It started when I was ten, and gained momentum, despite my father's efforts at having Carue and I tour the countryside.

I did make friends, but my weakened state couldn't be hidden. The important people expected my swift death from wasting sickness.

The Dance Powder rumors are what I remember about my twelfth birthday. They consolidated the idea in my mind that a shadow organization sought control of my birthright. Not two weeks after I had squashed the objections about being unable to inherit because I remained sickly and at death's door, the Dance Powder crisis broke.

It was as if a hidden enemy played a new line of attack after the first failed. Though I'd not learn my suspicions were correct until later.

Somehow, a huge amount of Dance Powder, a mystic substance which creates rain by destroying seed clouds, was shipped to my father. Naturally, the shipment was upset in public, linking the royal house with the reprehensible substance. Indisputable proof, impossible to deny. 'Planted evidence' as an excuse did not sway the public, and so I learned a vile lie will gain the hearts of the people, if told often enough.

For the first time I began to question if I wanted to become a ruler of Arabasta, if I wanted the responsibility of governing a people who would betray me like they were betraying my father. This bothered me, interfered with my own focus on abilities.

Finally I found my father and poured my heart out to him in one of our increasingly rare meetings. I hadn't seen him for days, but he still came and tucked me in that night. I'll remember the expression on his face forever.

"Vivi, the responsibility of a ruler is to bear the weight of the country. In good times, weight is light, and a good king must concern himself on not squandering his bounty. In bad times, weight is heavy, and a king must bear the fears of his country in order to protect the people. Protecting is much harder than attacking, than solving problems, because fear creates evil, which in turn creates more fear."

My father looked so old that night, as if he might never see me again, as if his great heart would give out. "This cycle of fear, I only hope I can break it before it breaks Arabasta." He said finally, but I don't believe those last words were truly meant for me.

Once a seed cloud is destroyed, the weather changes. In essence, using Dance Powder on immature clouds 'steals' rain from other locations. The substance was banned in the Grand Line generations ago, after wars started over unnatural droughts.

Shortly after the Dance Power fiasco, Arabasta descended into such a drought. A calculated drought; one any intelligent person could see was caused by Dance Powder itself. The unrest grew. Neighboring islands began accusing Arabasta of conspiracy against them.

Why was this happening? No. Who was responsible, was the better question. The 'why' of it was obviously a coup or revolution.

No one in the royal circles had information. Speculations were useless. However, part of this conspiracy forced rain over the royal capital, while depriving the rest of our country of living rain. Father looked guilty. A movement openly seeking revolution began, became popular.

I didn't like it.

I hated it.

I needed to act.

As a Princess of Arabasta, I failed my people. First by arrogance, later by weakness. I would not fail a third time. While the royal court spun in circles of circumstantial wavering, I cut to the heart of the matter.

The first time might be coincidence, but the second is enemy action. I finished with being my own worst enemy when my childhood ended. An unknown rival undermining the noble dynasty of Nefertari worked inside the shadows, and I vowed to stop them. My long illness ended, my determination burning.

The best lesson I took from my ordeal is that those who seek only power lead loathsome lives. Before my own recklessness backfired, I had few friends.

The Suna-Suna band was in awe of me, and Igaram, Chaka, and Pell were forced into watching me. My poor Carue, I neglected him. The world revolved about me, and my greatness drew others like moths circling a flame. Or so I once believed.

After I fell ill, I found those I disdained cared for me, and I began to care for them. I stopped wanting to be strong for strength's sake, for my sake, and began wanting strength for others. If only I had continued on that wholesome path, but then I'd miss out on my marvelous adventures.

Sometimes, I still wonder what may have been, if I'd been a docile princess. Would I still have acted to save Arabasta, the weaker me? Would I have loved my country as much as I do now? When I have nothing better to focus on, I ruminate on silly what-might-have beens. So it goes…

My old dreams fell into ash, abandoned as my childhood ended. In their place, a new ambition blossomed.

Immortality.

I had already figured out the secret behind it - the key to immortality is living a life worth remembering. Engraving myself into the living memory of Arabasta's people, by being the greatest princess ever, would grant me immortality.

By my will, I would walk the endless hard path into life.

When I shared this with my father, he looked at me strangely. An evaluating expression, full of sadness, pride, and hope. His eyes, they tore through me.

"So, this is the Will of D. Truly, an astonishing force."

"In one year, I'm leaving." I met those eyes, not flinching. "I will infiltrate this unknown organization, obtain evidence and proof of their complicity, and save our kingdom from ruin."

"We see." Said my father, King Cobra, using a royal 'we,' an unusual formality.

"I need time to train with a weapon, to master my body again." I had already selected the Peacock Slashers as my devastator of choice. A variation on the chained whip, they impressed me with their beauty and grace.

"You should look into Rokushiki, the six greatest arts. The marines of the World's Government use them for enforcement. I know little, other than these secrets exist. Even here, in the Grand Line, their very name inspires legends."

"Then I will not take the throne until I master these legendary arts. However many there are, be it six or six hundred! But for that, I need time."

"Daughter, you may take it, but not here. If you are truly ready, ready enough to lead the people of Arabasta, you must go forth and journey. Take Carue. Learn; no, relearn our kingdom. See the changes this scandal has brought. Give our people hope."

What a tall order for a pre-teen girl. As much as I love my father, looking back on that, I don't know what the hell he was thinking. Sure, I had minor powers from the devil. Didn't mean crap against even the medium sized lizard predators in our beloved island's food chain. Death in the desert basked on many rocks.

Maybe he thought sending me away would make me safe. He ordered Ingaram with me, but I would have none of it. The Captain of the Guard should do his duty and lead the Guard, not follow a headstrong nearly disinherited princess around on her coming of age training journey. I didn't need a nanny.

I like men to behave like men – strong and childish. As much as I wanted Pell or Chaka, I could be in danger if they came.

So I left with Carue. I walked, then jogged behind my Super-duck, as my body slowly became stronger. We visited settlements, villages, cities, and met with the Arabastan people. At times I was welcomed, at times I was chased off, as the drought grew worse. Twice people tried to steal the only thing of real value I took with me – my seastone chopsticks. And I learned how roast lizard tasted. You don't waste resources in the desert, and my ironic battlecry would be 'Time For Dinner!' until it started causing unnecessary confusion. Ah, more on that later.

Maybe. The story is embarrassing.

I visited retired masters, and learned the way of my peacock slashers over a grueling three month initiation. Carue made friends with some local wildlife, and I got my ass handed to me by a group of Kung-Fu Dugongs. I vowed revenge, but could clearly see a long road before collecting it.

No one on Arabasta knew anything about the Rokushiki, not my masters, not the colorful chiefs of the desert tribes, and not the old wise women who healed my battered body when the desert proved too much. My only clue came from a Marine first mate, who told me if I signed up and rose through the ranks, they would teach me, should I prove worthy.

She showed me a small trick, that Marine. She jumped three feet into the air and hovered, for nearly thirty seconds, her white uniform fluttering at parade rest. I knew she did not have the powers of the devil, I could feel nothing inside her. Still, that small trick strained her muscles, while her face showed nothing, she walked exceptionally slowly back into Arabasta Marine Headquarters.

Even as I scoured our desert country, my mysterious senses detected no devil powers or fruits. At times I felt a slight pull towards Crocodile's headquarters, but I avoided pirate related people and activates during my training time. I wasn't ready. Even visiting the Marines had felt unusually daring.

The year finished faster than I imagined. I returned home, a changed woman.

A much, much worse, political situation greeted me, with rebellion semi-openly calling for King Cobra's downfall in the major cities. The glue holding the kingdom together seemed to be the Shichibukai Crocodile, who fought off monthly bands of marauding scavenger pirates.

This wasn't the kingdom I belonged to. I could never rule such a damn mess.

I can't imagine what might have happened if I disappeared without telling anyone. How my father might have worried. What resources might have been devoted at me instead of solving this crisis? After a long talk with Igaram, I decided I'd find out what was behind this, and do something. Like stop it.

They wouldn't let me go until I could show my competence, but after training against the desert beasts, mastering my peacock slashers, and learning distance spitting (a needed talent if you have highly caustic weaponized saliva), the ten Arabastan guards were easy.

So I thought. In the coming weeks, I'd quickly learn Arabastan guards were a formality. Or more accurately, normal men and women were nothing compared with the powers of the devil.

Father didn't want me to go. Too bad. I went anyway, and I forbid him from sending anyone after me. My cover girl, body double, stand-in persona-princess came from the city. Pretend-me happened to be very sick from an exotic desert illness I'd caught during my travels.

I never met her. Two months after I left, she was assassinated. Poisoned to death. I realized then, as much as father didn't want me to go, he didn't want me to stay. My expense account held money able to support me for the rest of my natural lifespan, a few million belli. Father's contingency, and I still love him for it.

Spending liberally, I found out the organization behind the rabblerousing was called Baroque Works. A mercenary outfit boasting over three thousand members, taking hundreds of unsavory jobs. A front for my adversary's master plan.

Naturally, I joined Baroque Works. Infiltrated with Carue, who I claimed to have stolen from the royal house of Arabasta.

They bought it, and I began working my way up through the ranks, on islands far down the Grand Line. I thought if I traveled high enough in the organization, I could uncover the employer behind the troubles of Arabasta. What I discovered…. well, that came later.

My grand adventures had finally begun.


	4. Vivid4 Miss Day of Reckoning

"_Miss Day of Reckoning_"

* * *

When we are young and arrogant, we feel eternity is granted upon us. At least I felt that way, during those days Carue and I looked into a calm blue ocean reflecting a graceful blue sky, under the Grand Line.

Oh, I have memories of this time, but they are training memories. The reminiscence of a girl who cared more for fighting than companionship, a selfish girl, though that girl was no longer a spoiled brat. Gradually, I pieced together a fighting style, more than simple Kung-Fu, gained splashes of power, and traversed the Baroque Works. As an empowered agent, an agent who shared in the devil's favor, I could pick and choose jobs, unlike the rabble. Carue ('Mr. Racingday') was my only partner, and they called me 'Miss Day of Reckoning'.

I wish.

I called myself 'Miss Day of Reckoning'.

Instead they stuck me with 'Miss Fireworks Celebration' though I successfully gained the 'Day of Reckoning' nickname among the Millions (the name Baroque Works used for their thug-cockroaches). Cannon fodder feared me.

A reputation I earned by beating bands of grown men, wannabe pirates only good for intimidation or dying, fools who entered the Grand Line unprepared. In reality, that stupid Island Whale got half of them, but I shamelessly took credit. At first I thought Laboon was a great wonder of the depths, but after I learned how he scarred himself against the Red Line, I couldn't stand him! An emo whale is not a noble whale. Carue conveyed Laboon was all 'I'm lonely' and 'come back for me' - just a big crybaby. Dumbass crap whale even managed to cut himself with his mountain ramming technique.

I did like Crocus though, he taught me many things about the Grand Line. It was his advice which got my necklace started. But back to taking out the trash.

Baroque Works hated competition, and wannabe pirate rabble joined the 'Millions' or joined the bottom of the sea. My final record on that newbie duty - 25 ships sunk, no ships recruited. Sure, I rescued a few that weren't scum, but they spread my legend.

After the probationary period, my requested position of general troubleshooter was granted, and I found myself fighting against other powers of the devil. The other Devil Fruit users in the organization thought I was a funny little girl, as in 'ha-ha, not a threat'. They were right, and I hated that they were right.

So I took jobs which would help me become stronger.

If I didn't have my Mysterious Powers, I would have been stuck with crap jobs, like hunting sea kings for food, perhaps forced into an unsavory partnership with a man of dubious character. Or even worse, a wannabe prince who wanted to protect me. I spat on the ground inside my mind, because spitting for real would dissolve what it landed on. Stupid Wapol.

But wait. Before I get ahead of myself, I did meet some of the organization's own fruit users, a general introduction. I gained minor abilities, but it was more trouble than it was worth.

From Miss Doublefinger, who dressed like a dominatrix and could turn herself into a pin cushion, I permanently lost the ability to use hair curlers. That skank infected my hair with her spiky cooties. I have never, ever hurt anyone by making my hair into a spike, and I consider this a terrible trade. Like my lips, it is permanent. I received this curse when she felt the need to nuzzle my hair and breathe into my neck about how I should stay away from her supaman, Mr. 1. What a bitch.

I made absolutely sure to befriend Miss Valentine and suck down as much Kilo-Kilo power as possible. The bubblehead can change an object's weight by 5000 kilos with her 'Crescendo Stone', plus she's fun and easygoing with a terrible taste in men I do not share. It gives us something to talk about. As much as she's a follower, that woman was my first true friend. Changing your center of mass in a fight is a fantastic surprise, but unlike Beth, I can only change my own weight, and not by much. We used to go sun-bathing together, and just be girls. The problem with this relationship was her disgusting partner.

Mr. 5. The pig. The man-booger. He held the devil's power to turn any part of his body into an explosive, and he utilized it by constantly picking his nose. Disgusting! Even worse, he actually touched me, and this revealed another new quirk of my Mysterious Powers.

Total rejection.

Maybe it was my will combined with the seastone I absorbed, or maybe the Mystery Mystery Fruit can be fickle. I don't know, and I don't care to experiment.

Basically I loathed the very idea of man-booger - hated him so much - that my body refused his powers. Every time Mr. 5 touched me, my absorber powers totally rejected him. With an explosion that triggered his own ability.

The explosion didn't hurt either of us, and usually launched him a good distance away. Mr. 5 became fascinated by this reaction. He could not stay away, and it totally cut into my friendship with Miss Valentine. Every time, and I mean every time he touched me, a piece of my clothing was ruined and he made a dirty joke about fireworks and 'blowing his load.'

Ugh. Remembering crude asshole booger-man annoys me.

Around that time, I adopted an outfit that concealed most of me. Gloves, mask, the whole ensemble. I was often in proximity to another fruit user, and this stopped unwanted power transfers. Plus it made me look like a boy, a big plus when worthy opponents taking you seriously is a major life goal.

Looking back, I think the Mysterious Powers finally settled in because I was actively seeking useful abilities. When I had imprinted several powers, the involuntarily drawing in stopped. Mostly. It began taking effort to absorb, and I actually had to will it, to want it. With my later escapades, especially against Logia, I don't think I could have survived without this saturation.

What powers did I have at this point? Sniff, Eat, Seastone, Ugly Hair, Weight, and Whisper. I'm particularly proud of Whisper. At times it is more useful than my combat repertoire. As much as I enjoy physical conflict, I am a trained diplomat.

Ah, Whisper. Baroque Works sent me on a mission to investigate the Millennium Dragon, having heard rumors about invincibility elixirs and riches. To be honest, no one in the organization took the rumors seriously, but I'd recently taught Carue I'd found it hilarious if he flew over Mr. 5's head whenever he needed to use the Little Duckies' Room. Therefore Miss Valentine arranged everything to separate us before her partner managed Booger Art - One Dead Duck.

This was long before I met the windbags, months before. Apis was a good kid, and the time for the Dragons was not then. So I diplomatically made a friend and grabbed a sliver of her ability, which sounds calculating (I was a selfish girl) and useless if you only want flashy powers. Really, I tried to tell Apis how awesome she was, but she thought I was only trying to make feel better. Kid was lonely. Anyway, Baroque Works never got involved, and I learned how to talk to snails.

Why not Sea Kings? Why not Carue? My super-duck and I already understood each other, and being able to talk to something doesn't mean it will listen. It turned out, learning one animal was the limit of my mysterious powers, so I'm still deaf to nature. Apis told me Sea Kings were snobby and rude; coming from a sweet child like her, it really meant something.

So… snails? Den-Den Mushi are snails. Apis didn't believe me when I told her she could be the most powerful spy mistress in the world. Maybe someday she'll understand.

Anyway, after I got back to the Grand Line I used my snail-whispering ability to find Hercules. More on him later.

While I was around East Blue, I did check out the local sights and kick a marine patrol vessel's collective ass hoping to meet a rokushiki disciple (bad luck, their 'captain' had bought his commission and had no skills). Then I visited the best restaurant around - Baratie. The food was great. The chefs were crap. I still can't believe they banned me for fighting. I actually tried dusting off my persuasive charms, but the blonde-haired waiter went out of his way to flatter women and insult men. I'd dressed in my ninja outfit and looked like a pretty boy, and my adversary took my appearance as a personal insult. It was incredibly frustrating, especially when head chef Zef threw us both out into the ocean before we finished the fight.

The crap waiter just climbed back on the job. Carue fished me out before I drowned; for all my scraps of stolen power, I'm still a hammer.

Still the sharpest memory I have from the time period is the two windbags. I met the second one in a bar on Cactus Island, the one with the graveyard of fools near the end of line (or the beginning, from a Reverse Mountain type of view). Our encounter went something like this:

In my ninja concealment, all black, including a veil, I walked into the low class bar and went right to his table in the back.

"My employers have decide you've been a nuisance lately, Windmaster. They'd like you to move on. One of the Blues, Loguetown, or towards the middle of the Grand Line. I hear the East Blue is full of weaklings; you could easily make your fortune there."

"And they think sending a child will convince me?" The swordsman snorted in disgust.

"Yes. They think sending one of their weakest and least important agents will convince you. In terms of my organization, I'm nothing-girl. It is expected you'll survive me. If you kill me and remain, you'll have to deal with agents of far more power than me."

"Ah." The man nodded, understanding. "What if I kill the messenger and move on anyway? Sounds like they won't care enough as long as I'm gone."

"Exactly." I smiled. "I'd hardly be a proper representative if I died against someone like you. Kill me. If you can, my place in the organization is opened for my murderer."

"I'm not sure if I want to stop working alone, but I'll get to killing you after this drink."

He finished his drink. We fought outside town. He lost. And I never got his name, never bothered. His two swords produced a cutting wind. Okamatachi, he called it. I think. He wasn't happy when I repeated the name back to him, but in easy fights, I just don't care. My Kung-Fu was strong that day; I jumped ten feet split his wind with my bare hands. When I did that, the jaw dropping expression on his face, amazed and frightened, was so beautiful.

I knocked his ass out, stuck him on a passenger ship, and thereby removed him from the Grand Line. (Cheapass had only a few thousand belli; I paid half the fare.) Never saw the little wuss again. I tied him up with my peacock slashers and tried to absorb his powers, but they did not take.

Maybe he was just a swordsman with a fancy trick? I dunno; I still think this second windbag had something devil related, Sniff told me so. Looking back, it may have been an imprinted sword or piece of Seastone. Ah well, I didn't need his wind.

I'd already drained Erik the Windbag from East Blue. Also known as 'I'll Never Need Nailpolish Again' power guy. (The purple wasn't a bad color, it went with my hair.) Sure he had a bunch of ships and followers in his own little pond. The Grand Line isn't a little pond. Heck, I wasn't even a fish back then, more like a baby dugong who could do tricks.

Our battle was more like it.

It took place on one of those islands my later group never visited. A volcanic island, stuck in the winter-time. Plenty of air currents for a wind-user to play with, and it made a perfect Grand Line exploratory base for Erik the Whirlwind.

Baroque Works hated competition, especially competition which attracted Marine attention. I could only play around in East Blue that one time because I was way far away. So when Windbag set up a beachhead, they sent Miss Day of Reckoning to disabuse him of his base. Maybe just abuse him.

I wanted to go alone, but they made me take a bunch of the Millions, because why waste a perfectly good base? Yeah, part of my orders were capturing the landscape. Pillaging.

I made the captains they gave me produce tons of assault plans, and picked the one which drew Windbag out alone for a one on one battle. It suited all of us. Keep the fruit users from wrecking the valuable real estate, and keep them away from the troops. I just wanted to steal power in private.

In hindsight, it's amazing how well the plan worked, or that it worked. Maybe it's the company I keep now, but I've never had one of their plans actually do such a thing - work.

So anyway, Erik was drawn out into the winter forest, away from his base, probably to attack our beached ships or some crap, I can't remember now. The plan worked, Okay?

Carefully, I pulled down my black ninja mask, and inserted the seastone end of a blowgun into my mouth. I chewed the orange peel for five seconds, before it could totally dissolve, with a great breath I spat through my unreliable weapon.

My target, Erik the Whirlwind, glanced contemptuously at the missile and waved his hand. My own acid, which I was not immune to, flew back at me. I ducked behind a tree. After this battle I would retire the blowgun. I didn't need it against fodder, and the interesting ones turned it against me, and when they did, a clue about the limits of my powers emerged.

My peacock slashers were next. He tried cutting them with his windy, fancy fingernails, just like every two bit swordsman whose ass I'd kicked for years. I mean come on! The cables are nearly indestructible. I've tied up giants with them.

We danced around the forest a while, knocking down pine trees, scaring the crap out of mountain goats, that sort of thing. He was good, but not as good as I'd expect from a disgraced Marine captain. He relied too much on his powers and didn't know of the rokushiki. Sure I had to use my instant weight adjustment to keep up with him, but he didn't have super strength, just that one trick. It was a good trick, and I would make it mine.

He shredded the sleeves and legs of my outfit, blew off my veil, cut my left cheek. One of his wind blades left a clean scar on my outer right thigh. I broke his nose, dislocated his left knee with a hard slasher pull, and gave him a few friction burns. We fought hard, without mercy.

Carue provided the opening, and it ended. Great fight.

Baroque Works stole Erik's base, half his men, and got a fat ransom too. He got sent back into East Blue to do whatever he did next, but not before he offered me a job. I declined. Let it be known, I never actually called him 'Windbag' to his face. He was an arrogant slime ball, but I respect a great fight.

So anyway, I was not idle during these months of little combat, but the espionage stuff is damn boring. I got my evidence of how Baroque Works was behind the Ararbasta's Powder conspiracy, and more too. What I needed then was a cadre of minions, people who could back me up. I could probably count on Miss Valentine and her asshat of a partner to look the other way, but they wouldn't help me. That left the rest of the fruit users in Baroque Works.

If I was clever and lucky I still doubted I could do much against the best of my organization.

I couldn't handle Crocodile. Mr. 0 knew of my ability, and had drawn his own conclusions. I was an anti-admiral back-up plan, but since I had never absorbed a logia power, his sand-ability might be in danger if we ever met. Thus, I was forbidden from going more than three islands up the Grand Line. Ever. My wonderful necklace of eternal poses only dealt with starter islands on different routes.

I needed someone who could use water, or ice, or at least keep him occupied while I set something up with his own Dance Powder. Trap sandman in poetically draining rainstorm? Sounded like a bad plan. Well, it was what I had to work with. I didn't want his powers, because I still remembered the crying man in the Green Fedora from that auction, long ago. He'd warned me, if I took on a logia only the parts of me in contact with the powers would be affected. Logia users were death-traps for me.

Anyway, I began taking jobs closer to Loguetown, waiting for the right type of idiots I could negotiate with or dominate. I still had Dad's account with a few million belli. I even considered trying to pry Smoker loose from his home base, now that I could resist his ugly power. Ok, let me rephrase - now that I *thought* I could resist his power. Baroque only had paramecia fruit users. It wasn't a serious plan; if my resistance failed, my lungs would become smoke, and I'd die.

But then they came along, and everything changed.


	5. Vivid5 Nakama

_"Nakama"_

* * *

In need of suitable companions, I often visited the town of Whiskey Peak on Cactus Island, evaluating travelers from Loguetown. None caught my interest, though I did have good fights. With the townsfolk.

The townspeople were bounty-hunters, slightly above the 'Millions' rabble, under Baroque Works. At first, I dressed in disguise and slipped them my wanted poster from East Blue (faceless ninja costume, 500,000 belli for disgracing a marine vessel), greed made them foolish. Too bad this only worked four times; word got around I was not to be 'reckoned' with. They still enjoyed helping me haze newbies, especially the fake nun and her midget husband.

Good times. In this way, I practiced against ambush and guns.

When I became too discouraged, I trained until the instructions of old lighthouse keeper Crocus, though I couldn't stand his secret whale base. At first Crocus refused, but he came around after he got used to me. I figured 'old man on the Grand Line' meant fighting ability. Crocus showed me grappling moves, a nice complement to my striking Dugong-Style Kung-Fu, and if he enjoyed giving a young girl lessons because she was a young girl, it only meant I didn't need to pay him with belli.

Time passed, as I trained with various older mentors I'd found on the islands, looking for the right people to help rescue my country.

The big break came while I was on a courier mission to Pineapple Island. My den-den mushi rang, and I reached into Carue's ducky pack and answered. Only two people could contact me; Hercules was still a baby snail and I was not about to let Baroque Works know I had a personal snail.

"Emergency! Miss Day of Reckoning, this is Miss Valentine, can you hear us? Whiskey Peak needs help! Two monsters!"

Looking at Hercules with his purple shell, I yelled, "This is Miss Day of Reckoning, expect me in an hour." I didn't really count Miss Valentine as another executive agent, she was a friend.

I reached into my shirt, found the eternal pose for the Cactus Island base on my necklace, and motioned Carue into a new direction. He stopped running on the ocean and briefly took to the air; reorientation achieved.

"Mr. Racingday, it's an emergency… turbo max!"

Carue quacked and I pulled down his goggles. I summoned my little winds, attempting to make us faster. With a mighty flap of his black-tipped wings, my duck and I flew across the Grand Line, faster than any pirate ship.

We didn't make it.

The base was devastated, and even worse, Miss Valentine had gotten hurt, though not badly. I got a secondhand story that went like this:

Miss Wednesday, a dancer who used rifles and Mr. 9, a fallen King who used Steel Bats, failed in their latest mission - provisions. The dumb asses went after Laboon. Now, sure Island Whales are a huge food source as the biggest thing in West Blue, but old sensei Crocus is an excellent protector. At 71, he's still alive on the Grand Line. Think about it. They didn't.

Those failures then lured a pirate vessel which successfully defeated the challenge(s) of the whale over to Whiskey Peak on Cactus Island. Good for them. The city of bounty hunters led by country western gunslinger Mr. 8 couldn't win, not even with muscle-girl Miss Monday. Seriously, they couldn't beat me and my bounty was only 500,000 belli, which is way less than 30 million. The Unluckies and Miss Friday went for help, I guess because the pirates somehow learned sensitive information? Miss Friday, Mr. 8, and Mr.9 were currently presumed dead. Miss Wednesday had fled the island already; the blonde ditz then got annihilated along with her escape vessel.

According to intel, these pirates knew the identity of Mr. 0, and we were supposed to stop them? I really wanted to meet them. Either they would help me topple one of the seven gods of pirates, or it was imperative I stop them from joining his cause.

Thanks to the vigilant Unluckies, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine stepped up. Things go bad, and I am contacted. The captain was either some guy with three swords or a really stretchy guy. They fought each other over stupidity, and brushed off two Baroque Works Executives like day old crumbs. Miss Valentine was totally mad; she hates being ignored.

The entire debacle happened over about 36 hours, and I showed up in time to miss everything.

Mr. Racingday got food, water, and a few hours rest, and then Miss Valentine changed the weight of herself to nothing, and we rode double, turboing over to Little Garden, thanks to my necklace of eternal poses. Mr. 5 followed us on one of the Unluckies - a giant vulture. We joined that egomaniac Waxman Mr. 3 and his useless partner. They'd just gotten here from Kyoraku Island, and were setting up a base on Little Garden.

All that traveling and coordinating left me exhausted, and I didn't even visit the giants, who I'd sparred with in the past. I did warn off the other agents from bothering them. My allies planned. Before lights out, Hercules told me Miss All-Sunday was around, stirring the pot. Whoever these guys were, her interest meant they held power.

Morning came, and after a nice breakfast on Mr. 3's food, I headed toward shore. Miss Golden Week was useless as usual, and the other Baroque Work Executives had left with their own plans. With a competent navigator, I thought these mighty pirates would be arriving today.

Soon, I found one.

The blonde guy smoking a cigarette did a stupid fancy twirling kick and took out a dinosaur that looked like a giant lizard. I recognized that move. It got my ass banned from the Baratie in East Blue. This man and I had unfinished business.

I retreated and used my whistle to call Carue. Swiftly he appeared, and opening his ducky pack I changed my clothing and dropped my necklace. The 'Ninja Look' was so in today. Still, I had a problem with my costume - boobs. I now had them. I didn't want to look like a girl ninja, I wanted to look like an androgynous ninja. I wanted to fight blondie wearing what I wore before.

"Carue, don't let go of the cloth!" An exasperated and tired quack answered me.

Holding my breath, I twirled into the binding material around my chest. Carue pulled it tight with his beak. It's a good thing I didn't throw away this costume after I'd collected my own bounty last year, using some annoying knocked out Okama at Whiskey Peak. I mean, it's pretty hard to tell one ninja from another ninja when they wear masks. Well, maybe not if you're good, but the Marines weren't that good. Half a million belli was worth my trouble.

Anyway, I still had my old costume and a spare mask, even if it didn't fit me well and I had trouble breathing. I practiced a little, and managed to fake a guy's voice. The one thing I remembered about that damn cook is he hated men, especially feminine men. I wanted him angry.

Conveniently, he went hunting alone, and was now dragging a dead dinosaur. Slowly dragging.

I opened the battle by pinning his arms against his body with my Peacock Slashers, right after he finished lighting a new cigarette. He didn't care, allowing me to tie off the binding and fall into a Kung-Fu stance.

"We have unfinished business." I told him. "You won't be grabbing me this time."

"Chefs don't risk their precious hands in battle!" He boasted, not even annoyed I'd pinned his hands in his pockets. He blew out a cloud of smoke and just looked at me, a blank 'come-at-me' stare devoid of recognition.

"When you broke that huge dining table over my head in the Baratie, you sure didn't use those feet of yours." Twenty feet long, the biggest table in the floating restaurant, and apparently hard to replace; a very angry Head Chef Zef threw us into the ocean, together. I wanted to finish that fight. I didn't start it, but I burned with desire to finish it.

My opponent looked embarrassed. "That was before I finished my training," He mumbled.

"Do you know hard it is to get a respectable meal working for Baroque Works?" I yelled.

It really was hard.

"Because you were flirting with anything that had tits and started with some Marines, I got banned from the best eats in an entire ocean. This is revenge… Tornado Dervish!"

I threw myself forward, adjusting my center mass with Kilo powers, letting the my limited stolen Wind push me faster, and striking with everything I had, from every direction, unpredictable, whirling like a mad tornado. My first special move, an eternal work in progress.

That cook was tied up, and still managed to avoid the worst of me by running backwards. He ran halfway up a tree trunk, somehow managed to untie himself, and back flipped back at me.

"Mutton Shot!" He yelled, kicking at my neck.

I gathered my will into my fist, and punched his incoming shoe with everything I had. The air left my lungs in the standard battle shout of my Kung-Fu.

"OSU!"

The impact was terrific. I was blown black leaving a dirt trench with my heels, and the blonde chef uncontrollably bounced off the tree he'd just climbed. He recovered himself in a handstand.

He had super strength. As much as I had trained, I knew from our exchange I wouldn't win against him in power. Underneath my mask, I smiled.

We fought more, and true to his words, he didn't use his hands. For every hit I took, he took ten, but his attacks were ten times as powerful as mine. It was a close match that pushed my limits, made me improve myself, a true challenge.

Then that stupid chef ruined everything. He used another specially named kick, and I dodged it. I thought I dodged it. Suddenly I could breathe easier, and my opponent stopped moving, frozen.

I took the opportunity and hit forehead with all my might! I knocked boasting blondie the crap out, even left a small crater as the back of his unconscious smiling face bounced off the packed dirt of the forest floor.

Smiling face? That last kick had missed me, but my clothing, specifically my upper torso armor and chest support, tore. I'd won because he'd been staring at my breasts.

Still, I'd won.

Leaving the dinosaur, I tied my fallen opponent on Carue and headed back. I dropped the unconscious chef off Carue in Mr. 3's wax house, before I showed at the battleground,

The tableau wasn't what I expected. Mr. 3 had constructed his 'special service' amusement park pony ride candle tower and had pinned poor Brogi against the ground with wax swords. A swordsman had taken a heroic pose on the tower, and I guessed he was the pirate captain. Next to him was a beautiful girl, also frozen in wax. Miss Golden Week was playing a game with a guy wearing a straw hat, trapped in one of her apathy drawings. A guy with a long nose frantically ran past me, with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine in pursuit.

In short, I found the situation completely unacceptable. Brogi and Dorry were my friends. While I knew about their bounty, I didn't realize anyone else did. Maybe I should have paid attention yesterday before I slept.

Oh well.

Mr. 3 was not happy to see me. He went on a rant about not splitting bounty money with me, and I calmly walked over behind Miss Golden Week and rendered her unconscious with a palm chop against the back of her neck. Even if she woke up later, she wouldn't do a damn thing.

Calmly, I pushed the man with the straw hat off of whatever drawing Golden Week was controlling him with. Three was yelling and screaming at me, but my something, perhaps my reputation, prevented him from simply attacking me.

"Save the giant." I told the man in the straw hat when he looked at me. "Oh, and fire will melt your friends on the wax tower."

He smiled with gratitude, and not even Mr. 3's wax battle doll stopped him. As I pulled giant wax swords out Brogi, he started talking. I heard a story involving poison and treachery, of how shameful interfering in a battle between Elbaff's Warriors was, of grand dreams and adventure. This was the most wistful I'd ever seen the huge being, and I think somehow the man in the straw hat reminded him life included much more than Little Garden.

I also watched Mr. Straw Hat fight. According to my senses, he'd eaten a devil fruit, and I'd never imagined such an unorthodox fighting style. Stretching… yeah.

After watching Mr. 3 lose, I made the decision. The big decision. These guys were it; I'd make them my comrades. I didn't have many comrades in the Grand Line, less than ten, plus Miss Valentine. More mentors than traveling companions, the lot. Miss Valentine, come to think on it, was here and acting under the assumption the only sides were Baroque Works and These Strong Pirates. Time to correct her.

I told Brogi to find Dorry, jumped off his shoulder, and went to educate about Vivi's side. Miss Valentine wasn't hard to find. Sitting on a long-nosed man and using her Crescendo Stone to crush him out, 'ya-ha-ha-ha' on and on while stroking the poor idiot's nose. Her bumblebee themed parasol was on the ground next to her, along with that blue jacket she loved, and it looked like she'd been on quite the chase; her blonde hair was sticking out of that lemon rind hat she always wore.

She waved happily with the hand not tweaking the boy's nose. I walked over.

"Hey, remember a five months ago when you said you were pushing thirty and wanted to have one last big adventure? That you wanted to settle down somewhere and make chocolates, maybe at a cafe or resort, but you liked Baroque Works too much?"

Miss Valentine stopped laughing.

"Mr. 5 died, huh? Was it these guys or betrayal? Last night after you went to sleep, the three of us who actually think (Miss Golden Week was held in contempt by everyone.) decided if Mr. 0's identity became known, he'd kill us too."

I shrugged. "Miss All-Sunday is in this area. Hercules told me. Honestly, I don't know what happened to your partner, but I do know Mr. 0 is Crocodile, one of the mighty Seven Warlords of the Seas."

"Ugh! Vivi, you didn't have to tell me!" I shook my head sadly, and we both read between the lines.

"Beth, let the kid up before he dies." The longed nose kid was foaming around his mouth.

Miss Valentine stood, and the curly-haired pirate guy crawled away from us, slowly, taking deep gasping breaths of air. He moved like a turtle with broken ribs. He reminded me of the typical dead-pirate-walking, straight from one of the Blues, unprepared for the Grand Line.

"So how about it? Want to join these guys and take down Mr. 0? One last adventure?"

"Ya-ha-ha-ha, you know it, girl!" Neither of us mentioned the fat tears rolling down Miss Valentine's face. We both knew, even with these guys, we were no match for one of the Shichibukai.

"It's not like Five died. He probably crawled off somewhere with Three and Miss Useless." Mr. 3 was known for cockroach-like planning in terms of survival.

Beth just cried into my shoulder. We both knew Five wasn't likely to rescue either of us, should we need such a service. Beth only went for guys I thought were assholes.

Mr. 5 just disappeared. Carue looked exceptionally smug about it, so I guess those two finally had their showdown and the better duck won. I'd wondered where he'd gone during Brogi's story time.

After the dust cleared, we all gathered in one large clearing, more of a flood plain actually, with the giants.

In the middle were Brogi and Dorry, and myself, Carue, and Miss Valentine sat of Dorry's right. On Brogi's left side, sat the band of people who'd defied Baroque Works with panache.

Dead-pirate walking was laying down, ribs taped up, slowly drinking a meat broth. He was terrified of Miss Valentine. Next to him, the blonde chef Sanji, my former rival, worked a fire, dashing off all kinds of dinosaur meat. The guy knew his job. The meat went to the man in the straw hat, who had a huge distended stomach (guess it stretched too), and kept shouting happily 'Meat! Meat!' even while chewing. The swordsman who was formerly a wax sculpture was off to the side de-waxing his katanas, a huge plate of food beside him. A red-haired girl had a small yet fancy plate resting near her. She was occupied drawing a navigational chart.

Sanji had brought a delicious cut of dino-steak over to us, flirted shamelessly, and Miss Valentine and I spent dinner discussing his antics. My opinion - asshole. Her opinion - love at first sight.

The meal finished, and the giants vouched for me. My group approached their group.

"Look," I told them, "you managed to get Baroque Works angry on your own. Their main base is on the desert island of Arabasta, coming up soon along this route, and you know who their boss is, one of the mighty Seven Warlords of the Seas. What are your plans?"

"Kick his ass!" The pirate in the straw hat was looking at me with hearts in his eyes. Smitten by my beauty? Perhaps happy to have everything in the open? He moved towards us, meat-distended stomach jiggling, an entranced and strange journey of reverence. This might work. Deep inside I felt a measure of hope that my country would finally be straightened out, that my Kingdom would know the face of its enemy and actually be able to defeat him!

I smiled a radiant smile, prepared to nearly sell my soul to point these guys at Crocodile, like a big stretchy gun.

"Please join my crew!" Straw hat fell onto his stomach before me, a weird bow… wait. He was looking at Carue. My super duck blushed and hid his orange bill demurely behind his yellow wing. I stumbled. My plans vanished.

"So what type of fruit user are you?" I asked the eccentric man, after I recovered myself.

"I'm a rubber man!" He said happily, making cutesy noises at Carue. "I stretch." He grabbed his own cheek and yanked it a good two feet away from his face, then let go. As it snapped back, the air made a whip-like sound. Carue didn't flinch, I'd trained him well.

"Don't tell her, dumbass!" Yelled the red-haired woman with a tattoo on her shoulder, finally looking up from her charts. "Information is money!"

I pulled my necklace of eternal poses out from Carue's ducky-pack. Held them up, gesturing 'them poses came with us'.

"Welcome to our crew, my name is Nami! Can I see those?" The woman seemed to teleport. Without a second thought, I handed her the beloved necklace I'd spent years making.

"She's evil!" Added almost-squished boy, trying with much pain, to move an arm. "By the way, I'm Usopp, and she tried to kill me thirty minutes ago!" With a clumsy gesture, he shakily pointed at Miss Valentine, standing next to me, wearing her white dress with lemons printed on it, licking her lips.

"That nose." She whispered in my ear, and a sense of dread of filled me. I didn't want to know what she wanted with Usopp's nose, but Miss Valentine would share. In explicit detail, 'kya-ha-ha-ha' all the way.

"Well I'm not trying to kill you anymore." Miss Valentine said politely. Usopp considered this.

Sanji, the blonde chef with a cigarette in his mouth, went down to one knee in front of us, as if proposing marriage. Miss Valentine cooed delightedly; she always loves the guys who I hate. The tray in his hand held two clear stemmed wineglasses filled with a red fruity drink and red umbrellas.

I shook my head at him. Drinking from a flimsy glass like that with my cursed silver lips would reveal my own ability. Plus, I had a bad first and second impressions. Five hours ago he was one of my fighting rivals. Miss Valentine downed hers in one gulp and took my glass to sip on. Sanji left with a flourish.

"I've decided." Usopp announced. "You can join the crew of the mighty Captain Usopp, thousands of mighty warriors strong." He sounded wise, like he was doing us a favor.

A clump of wax bounced off the back of Usopp's head, and he quickly sat down and shut up.

"Idiot, Luffy is the captain." The marine-haired man ran a cloth down a white katana, taking off more wax. It then occurred to him to introduced himself. "I'm Roronoa Zoro." He grunted.

"Wait, I heard you were a pirate bounty hunter. How did you become a pirate?"

Zoro grunted again. I took this to mean 'later' or maybe 'don't bother me.'

Well then. Our turn.

"Hello, I'm Miss Day of Reckoning. I've known Brogi and Dorry for about two years, and they've helped me train in the fighting arts. These are Mr. Racingday and Miss Valentine."

Carue quacked, recognizing his introduction. He liked his nickname. Luffy was scratching around his ears.

Miss Valentine sighed. "I guess I'm out of Baroque Works." She winked at Sanji. "You can call me Elizabeth. I ate the Kilo Kilo fruit, and I can change my weight by 10,000 kilos."

Beth then pointed at me. "This is my best girlfriend Vivi. She's a tomboy, but when it counts she doesn't run away. She tries to hide it, but she's just as good at defusing fights as picking them."

I grinned. "Since Beth told you her real name, it means we're all-the-way in. Hello, I'm the Princess Vivi Nefertari of the royal house of Arabasta. I've been training to fight against Crocodile for years now, and I'm really happy I've finally found nakama willing to help me!"

The reaction faces everyone made at my second introduction were priceless. Not even Beth knew - the woman who was Miss Valentine would have been miserable trying to kept my secret as a Baroque Works agent. I had never wanted my past to hurt my best friend.

And so I finally had my Nakama.

* * *

-o-

* * *

Author's Notes - Miss Valentine Edition: I really wasn't planning on writing Miss Valentine into such a large role until I looked up her voice actress, which immediately made her character much more awesome for me.

Fumiko Orikasa, the Japanese voice actress for One Piece's Miss Valentine, is also the 'subbed' voice of Seras Victoria and Rukia Kuchiki. (I watch my anime episodes subbed.)

If someone knows a real canon name for the woman who is Miss Valentine, please let me know in a review. Also, if you have a strong opinion as to whether or not Miss Valentine should become a 'main' cast member (as opposed to just the Arabasta arc), tell. I have my own ideas here, but if someone makes a good case one way or another, I'm willing to change my outline.

Finally in chapter four, I mentioned Miss Valentine could change her weight by 5000 kilos, and in this chapter she's up to 10000. This isn't an error, the character has simply gotten better with her ability over the years. Her next goal is 100,000!


	6. Vivid6 Shakedown

"_Shakedown_"

* * *

Letting Beth's hand go, now that she wasn't trying to float away, I sighed in disappointment. "I can't believe they held back that much. I mean I've sparred with Brogi and Dorry, but that attack is magnitudes more power than anything I can do, or anything I've seen them use." I supposed their giant 100 million belli bounty might be justified.

The woman next to me laughed, sitting on the deck floor. "Ya-ha-ha-ha! We almost got swallowed by a gigantic goldfish! It's a great day to be alive."

Carue quacked in agreement. He hadn't been worried; we'd been swallowed by Laboon before.

The Going Merry continued from the shore of Little Garden, the tsunami waves created by the energy spike from the weapons of giants fading into the ocean of the Grand Line. This was my shakedown trip, and I needed to befriend, or failing that, understand, the crew I'd adopted as my weapon against Crocodile.

I noticed the five person crew had gathered at the end of the boat which would have been swallowed first by the island sized goldfish. Even Usopp, who struck me as a coward. That spoke of unity, of faith.

"Come on, Carue." I motioned my duck over, and Beth followed too.

"I have one last introduction to make." Reaching into Carue's ducky pack, I pulled out my juvenile Den Den Mushi. "This guy is not for eating."

Holding up the sleeping snail, whose shell was purple, slowly darkening to black, I introduced Hercules, and told everyone the sequence needed to contact him on the Snail Network. I warned them the marines monitored that network, so discretion was a must. The only ones interested were Sanji, who muttered something about letting a 'crappy old man know he was alive', and Nami, who grabbed the snail to try and contact a 'Nojiko in Cocoyashi village'. I told her to return Hercules to Carue's ducky pack when she finished. That was his home.

So, now we were voyaging, adventuring even, and I barely had connections with my comrades. That wouldn't do. In the near future, I'd be putting my life in their hands, putting my faith in their abilities. For such a degree of trust, I wanted, demanded to know more, their histories, and personal quirks which might change the flow of dangerous situations. Their dreams and goals.

I started with 'The Black Leg' Sanji because of familiarity. At one point, we were rivals, and that affords a certain degree of respect and comfort. I am particular about those I respect, but one of the qualities I respect is power. That man had it.

"Hey cook, come here, I need to tell you about my eating utensils."

As if he teleported, Sanji appeared in front of me with a steaming fish entrée. "Just for you Vivi-schwan!" He announced in a warbling, flirtatious voice, removing a tray lid, and I thought the steaming filet looked delicious. Carefully, I used my own chopsticks, which I'd taken out from their wooden and leather case.

"Very good." I said. "I wanted to let you know I only use these chopsticks, and this drinking straw in consuming food." The mouthpiece my retired blowgun now served again as a straw for liquids, and I displayed my implements and their cases to the chef. "I take care of these myself, so please don't bother arranging a place setting for me."

This didn't go over well.

"No! It is the responsibility of a chef to take care of every aspect of the meal, including the utensils!" Sanji sounded imposing, authoritative, like a man should sound. "Please, Vivi-chan, entrust your dining needs under my care."

That was an unexpected plea. Unlike my necklace of log poses, I would have an excruciating time living without my seastone chopsticks and drinking tube. I had a spare eternal pose for Arabasta hidden inside Carue's ducky pack, but I'd never seen other seastone eating utensils in my entire life. Ultra rare. They let me actually taste the food I consumed, and I'd never accidentally poison myself by biting through them and chewing, unlike varnished wood, ceramics, or metals. I cultivated an aura of mystery, but it can backfire; Sanji didn't understand the level of trust he was asking.

"Then give my your word as a man and a chef - no else touches my chopsticks or straw. They are irreplaceable to me, both in function and in sentimental value." The seastone straw had been a personal going away present from my father when I left the island. Sometimes, when I was younger, I'd wondered what Dad would think about my blowgun.

"I swear it as a chef and a man!" Sanji exclaimed, and I could almost see a burning aura surrounding him.

When he put it like that, I could only bow out gracefully. After I finished the fish, I handed over my seastone with reverent care. Sanji understood exactly what they meant to me in that moment; any true chef would.

"Why'd you leave the Baratie anyway? Did Zef kick you out?"

Sanji told me, about how that shitty pirate (he pointed at Luffy) fought off a shittier pirate named Don Krieg, who wanted to plunder the Baratie. Reading between the lines, it had the kindness of chefs and saviors, in addition to battle armor and heroic burning kicks. Luffy had gotten old man Zef on his side regarding Sanji, and that told me the rubber-man had a type of charisma I'd only read about in storybooks. He also mentioned a shitty swordsman lost a battle, but Zoro didn't hear or acknowledge the taunt if he did.

"Sanji, I'm thirsty!" Yelled Nami as his story wound down.

"Nami-schwan, I'll be right there!" The chef disappeared again.

Walking over to the navigator, I had my next target. She was sipping on a fruity drink with an umbrella, and Sanji was occupied with Beth now.

"So how did you join this crew of pirates? You don't strike me as a pillaging type."

Nami smiled, but her eyes filled with sadness. "I used to hate pirates. My mother, Bellemere wasn't really my mother, she was a retired marine, but she raised my sister and I. She loved us, and deep inside her closet was the type of jacket I've seen marine captains wear, so I thought she was the strongest person in the world. Then Arlong, and his gang of fishmen pirates conquered our island. They captured my sister Nojiko and I, and all the fight went out of Bellemere. Arlong made a big show of it, and in the end he let us go and shot her in the head. She died…"

"Wait." I interrupted Nami. "If your mother had that level of fighting power, being shot wouldn't have killed her, especially if she was captain-class."

Nami shook her head. "She died. Arlong did complain about losing his 'lucky' bullet on my mother, after he forced me into working as his navigation slave. We had a deal; if I could pay him enough money for the entire Cocoyashi village, he'd leave us in peace."

"My guess is that deal held a large amount of double-crosses in it." For a bullet like that to take out a marine captain, who always had a fruit ability or knew of six fighting arts, it wouldn't have been a simple iron bullet. Perhaps it was a seastone bullet, or maybe it was a weaponized zoan shot. Otherwise, the story didn't make sense. By it wasn't my story, and I listened.

"That would be a good guess." Nami looked irritated, her hindsight giving her a moment of 'If only I had known then, it was obvious!' "To make a long story short, Arlong lied, I got Luffy involved, he saved my village, and I decided to become his navigator. It's always been my dream to draw a map of the world."

I had no doubt I'd hear the rest of Nami's story in the coming weeks. "Your circumstances aren't much different from mine. Though my island is bigger, and a Shichibukai is more dangerous than an East Blue pirate captain. I too, served my enemy in order as part of a plan to save my people. If Luffy can also come through for me, I'll support his dream."

"I expect you to find end of the Grand Line with us, after your homeland is safe." Said Nami, smiling.

"It's a promise."

The wind began blowing, and Nami took up her position as navigator. I walked down the ship, looking out at the ocean, smelling the sea breeze. I noticed the moss-haired guy blink briefly, before closing his eyes again. If he wasn't asleep, I could also hear his story.

"So what about you?" I asked Roronoa Zoro, who was laying against the mast.

"Greatest swordsman in the world."

"I only want to become strong enough to protect my people. I've tried swords in the past. At first they stuck in other weapons or armor, and when I got better, they kept breaking on me. They are unreliable. While I use the Peacock Slashers for now, my weapon of choice is the Rokushiki, the six great fighting arts. It's my dream to master them, though so far I've only mastered one."

"I've had problems with finding good weapons, but I trust the blades I carry." Zoro patted his swords.

"On the Grand Line, there are those who have a Devil's ability or immense strength which can destroy swords. I am one of those people."

Zorro didn't actually ask the question, but I could tell he wanted to.

"I bite them in half." I smiled. It wasn't a nice smile; I'd practiced in front of a mirror until it could reliably terrify random trashy pirates.

"Oooh!" Luffy, who was sprawled on the figurehead of the ship, overheard, stopped scratching Carue behind the ears and grabbed a steel bar with a stretch of his right arm. He handed it to me, and in two bites it was over. I spat the acidic mess in my mouth over into the ocean, and it sizzled on the water.

While my head was turned, the man handed me another, thicker, steel bar, fascinated by my existence.

"Once was enough." I told him. "Hate the aftertaste."

"You can bite anything in half?" He looked at me intensely, as if in love.

"Anything but seastone, and it has to fit around my mouth. It's an irritating ability that's caused me more harm than good. It's not like I can turn it off, and I can't digest metal."

"You're not as cool as the duck, but you can join my crew too!" He proclaimed, pumping his fists at the heavens.

"She already did!" Nami yelled it from the middle of the ship.

"Is that so? I am going to be the next Pirate King." Luffy smiled.

"And what type of king will you be? A responsible king leads his people, makes them listen. I've met hundreds of pirates on the Grand Line, and none of them were as kind as you. How will you make them stop hurting people for fun? You can't be everywhere."

This actually made the rubber-man think. He wasn't very good at it. The entire point of the title of 'Pirate King' as a wiser self-proclaimed pirate king had explained to me, was the ideal of freedom. The Pirate King was the freest man alive, for he ruled the oceans and his crew, and that was his kingdom of happiness. By accepting a responsibility for others beyond the timbers of his ship, a pirate king lost his 'Freedom's Crown.'

"I don't know." Said Luffy, after a minute. "I'll do what ever Gol D. Roger did."

"Not even Roger stopped pirates from pillaging or exploiting the weak." I said. Obviously Luffy hadn't heard the stories I had. Perhaps I'd share them one day.

"Then I'll become an even better Pirate King, a pirate who helps people!"

"I'll support your rule, if you are that kind of King."

"Thanks." Luffy went back to scratching Carue, who warbled in pleasure when just the right spot was rubbed. I noticed he didn't find it strange that I instantly accepted his grandiose proclamation. I'd met many 'future Pirate Kings' on the Grand Line, and my policy was always to humor them if not kicking their punk asses. It worked well.

The weather calmed, an unusual lull on these waters, and I'd spoken with nearly everyone. With nothing better to do, I found the last member of the crew I'd forced myself into, Usopp.

He began telling me a fanciful and embellished story, about how the crew joined him. Parts were entertaining, but what I took away from it was Usopp had mostly came along because his (girl)friend, Kaya, had given Luffy this pirate ship. Reading between the lines, part of the condition of patronage was the pirating education of Usopp.

"…and so that's what happened." Usopp finished. "It's how the might Captain Usopp joined the crew of the future Pirate King." Usopp stood proudly, unashamed. Then he winced and rubbed where his ribs were taped up.

"It's all a pack of lies!" Nami did seem to like control, but that was a good trait for a navigator.

"But…" Usopp tried to defend himself.

"Lies." Said Zoro, half-asleep.

"But…" Usopp tried to defend himself again.

"Lies." Called Sanji, from the kitchen.

"It might have been more fun if that happened, but it didn't." Said Luffy.

Usopp looked miserable, and I upgraded him from 'dead-pirate-walking' into 'odd-jobs-bitch'. That meant I'd try to help him instead of letting him kill himself on the Grand Line.

"Courage and misdirection allow even the powerless their victories." I comforted him with an empty platitude. Kohza bought it when we were kids. "Power without wisdom is unfocused and helpless. An indiscriminating explosion, damaging friends in addition to enemies. Still, you should know better than telling lies to your Nakama."

Usopp blushed and crept away. He grabbed a hammer and started shoring up the mast, which looked like someone had ripped it out. Maybe someone had. This was the Grand Line.

Adapting to life on the Going Merry was hard for me. I enjoyed wide open spaces, setting my own schedule, the constant motion and action of a troubleshooter and courier. With rotating sleep shifts on the seas, I often shared the girl's room with either Nami or Beth; there was barely enough space for the three of us, together. It was a great relief to me when Beth made progress in her seduction of Sanji.

Still, I kept reminding myself this was the Grand Line, the boring times were unusual. Kept reminding myself how badly I had wanted this. Once upon a time, I was alone, proud. I nearly destroyed myself with that brittle selfish pride, until I found Carue, found my friends throughout Arabasta. Whenever these new crewmates annoyed me, I let my mind occupy the past, focused on how foolish I had once been, and the anger faded.

Nami and I became friends. As young women of similar ages, we had much in common, though our outlook on life remained different. She'd been a little upset when a 'Genzo' told her not to tie up his Den Den Mushi, but over concern regarding danger was his personality, according to Nami. True, if she called regularly, an eavesdropper could attack those she cared for. Still, Nami never used Hercules again, after that one time.

The period of peace ended soon. It started snowing, and we encountered a lone man standing on the sea.


	7. Vivid7 Drum Island

"_Drum Island"_

* * *

He wasn't standing on the sea; he was standing on a huge underwater ship, and it surfaced. 'He' might not even be a man, in that green and purple bulky jester's costume. Though what sort of jester wore a quiver of arrows? The huge ship flew a black and white pirate flag, and the skull wore a crown and had an iron jaw. The figurehead was a hippo head. A hatch opened on the top and I recognized an old nemesis as he jumped the gap between the vessels and landed on Going Merry's deck.

"What is that thing?" Luffy asked Sanji.

I could understand the question, for Wapol looked like a huge triangular rice ball with a human face. His white winter furs barely covered his huge stomach, and he needed a bath.

"We want to go to the Drum Empire!" Have any eternal poses?" As a show of intimidation, my old enemy ate the blade of a real sword, as he waited for our response.

"No, we've never heard of that country." Answered Luffy, still looking at Wapol, as if wondering what type of creature he might be.

"So cruel. If you don't have it, I'll just take your treasure instead." Wapol's face expanded grotesquely as he bit into the Merry's wooden railing, chewed, swallowed, and proclaimed, "This is a tasty ship!"

According to my sources, Wapol had ran from the Blackbeard Pirates when they'd raided his kingdom, rather than protect his people. Baroque Works keeps track of dangerous independent criminals, and as a (former) courier, I too, made an effort to memorize descriptions of those who could easily kill me. As much as I hated it, Wapol was one of those people, and thus I was staying out of this confrontation.

"Hey! Stop it!" Usopp attempted to beat Wapol off with a wooden mallet, but the tool was eaten. Wapol almost took off a finger too. Usopp fell back over himself in his haste escaping, scrambling backwards like a crab, realizing though he cared about the work put into fixing the Merry, his life mattered more.

"Everyone be careful." I warned. "This parasite has the power of the Eat-Eat fruit, and his crimes include cannibalism and sodomizing hippos!"

I was ignored.

"Stop eating my ship." Luffy's order was also ignored. He attacked. Wapol started dodging, jumping around the Going Merry, taking bites from everywhere.

I didn't join the melee. I didn't want more than my lips to run silver. Zoro stayed out of it; edible swords. After a long sequence of keep away, Luffy nailed the wood-muncher with an open-handed push he call the 'Gum-Gum Bazooka', sending Wapol flying far off into the surrounding ocean.

His followers panicked, and the large metal pirate submersible changed course with the intention of saving Wapol before his hammer body could drown. I hoped they were too late. I hoped a Sea King got him.

My uncharitable thoughts were dismissed when Beth came rushing out of the girl's room, her face sweaty. "Nami's really sick, and I don't what to do!" Beth also looked feverish, but a paramecia fruit changes you; no more conventional diseases, and you recover faster because your body is different. Depending on the ability, fruits varied in this layer of protection, but apparently the Kilo-Kilo fruit allowed Beth to throw off whatever laid Nami low.

That could be wrong. I'd heard it second-hand at the Reverie conference when I'd foolishly gotten my own devil ability. I haven't been sick since; the 'wasting sickness' story my royal house publicized came from seastone locking my own dangerous ability. But I'm not a doctor. No one on the ship was. That was the heart of this emergency.

"Just feed her some meat, she'll be fine." Luffy dismissed the problem and smiled.

"Dumbass, that would only work for you! Nami is delicate." Sanji kicked Luffy on the top of his head a few times, then repeated himself to make sure the message was understood.

"So if we poured water on her, that wouldn't cure her?" Luffy asked, unharmed.

"No!" Sanji back-kicked Luffy, sending him flying, and he bounced off the mast. Shortly after, the weather turned snowy.

Regret and sadness rushed through my heart, but I could do nothing. I'd seen strange and exotic illnesses destroy weak people unprepared for the Grand Line. Among the 'Millions' in Baroque Works, sickness was the second leading cause of death. Nami might be a brilliant navigator, but I doubted she could win a straight-up fight with an Arabastan Guard, much less an average Grand Line marauder. She had no constitution.

"Vivi, stop crying. It's not like her she's already dead." Beth rubbed my back, comforting me.

I simply looked at her. Tears ran down my cheeks and fizzed as they hit my lips. The acidic transformation from brief contact wasn't strong, more like carbonation.

My resolve hardened.

I walked into the women's area, and saw Nami's reddened face sweating from fever. Beside her bedroll on the floor was a pile of cut cloth and a tub of icy water, for keeping her temperature down. I took a white washcloth. Gingerly, I wiped my tears away, and blew my nose. The now-rag partially dissolved from contact with my silver lips, and I tossed it into a trash bin.

Kneeling by Nami's bedside, I took the log pose off of her arm. "Don't worry, we'll find help."

I walked out, straight to the wheel, and turned course for the nearest island. Drum Island. A winter island close to Arabasta that I'd heard stories of, but never visited. Stories that featured two people - the cowardly Wapol who I both feared and hated, and the impossible mercenary doctor Kureha, who could cure anything for the right price. And the 'right price' would ruin kingdoms.

The Merry-Go was absurdly close to Drum Island, and I only steered the helm for two hours before pulling into a semi-frozen bay. No crazy Grand Line weather fluctuations hit during that journey, a lucky break. The landscape around us consisted of pine trees and snow covered cliffs. As we put the damaged anchor (Wapol had eaten the entire left arm) down, the local welcoming committee announced itself with a gunshot.

People in ragged winter coats made of animal furs, most carrying rifles, stood on the shore edge of the natural harbor in a semi-circle, their guns pointing unflinchingly at our ship. "Pirates piss off!" and "Your kind isn't wanted here!" were shouted, along with other, harsher insults. They were obviously familiar with the raiding type of pirate.

Shots were fired. The ship received light damage. Luffy, now wearing a weather-appropriate red jacket and scarf, looked ready for a fight. I knew everyone would follow his lead.

"We're looking for a doctor, we have sick people on board!" I yelled at them, desperation coloring my voice.

"It won't work on us, evil pirates!" They replied.

"SHUT UP!" Sanji shouted it as loud as he could, and looked ready to kick ass.

"Wait Sanji-kun." I stopped him with a body check, barely holding him back.

But then someone shot me. My attention wasn't on the people with guns, and I could have easily died, despite my training at Whiskey Peak, despite study of the six arts, and despite my mysterious abilities. Someday, I really wanted an immunity against bullets, and I thought of Nami's mother Bellemere. We'd all changed into winter clothing, and because my warm blue fur jacket made me bulky, the shot grazed my arm.

Everyone reacted. "How dare you!" Yelled Sanji, directly into my ear, as I held him back. "Don't mess with us!" Called Luffy. The metallic sound of unsheathed swords came from where Zoro stood, and Beth jumped high into the air. I could feel the situation escalating too far as an armed villager called out "Get ready!" and the sound of rifle breeches clicking sounded, a clumsy uncoordinated drum roll.

"Wait!" I screamed. "Don't fight. The bullet missed me." Actually it hadn't, but it wasn't inside of me. I covered the rip in my coat, near my right elbow, where my blood dripped. "We won't go into your village! Our friend is in critical condition… please help us help her." I prostrated myself on the deck in a deep bowing posture.

"Vivi…" Luffy acknowledged my plea, and moved next to me.

"If you do something now, everything will worsen." I whispered. "You still don't understand what being a good Captain means. Think about it, if we fight, what will happen to Nami?"

Luffy assumed the posture of supplication next to me. "It's my fault, I'm sorry!" He begged. "Please call a doctor. Please help my friend!"

Zorro put his swords back in their sheathes. Beth landed gracefully on the deck; thankfully she didn't start laughing when she'd jumped. The guns on us were lowered.

"I will show you the way, just follow us!" Called down one of the ambushers, likely their leader.

"See, they understood us." I smiled at Luffy, my arm bleeding.

"Yes, you've done a good job." He smiled back.

Volunteering to get Nami, I went into the convalescent area and found a cowering Usopp. "Quick, help me bandage this, and don't tell anyone!"

"Mmmhp." Said Nami.

Understanding came, and I returned the log pose to her arm. This comforted her.

Usopp bound my wound, and soon the entire crew (minus Zoro and Caure, who were guarding the ship) followed our would-be-attackers through the woods of Drum Island. Ironically, they took us to the village they were so hellbent on defending from 'pirate scum' minutes before.

I kept my hands full carrying Nami, for I wouldn't let the chef have an 'accidental' molestation opportunity. Really it was to occupy my hands and stay away from Dalton, the local group's leader. My palms itched to caress him, for he had eaten one of the fruits of the Devil. He reminded me of Pell. I could feel that uncomfortable longing, a spiritual arousal. During our journey to Big Horn Village, I felt another similar pull, but it vanished soon. It also felt Zoan.

My self-introduction consisted of, "I am a mysterious woman, and until my friend feels better, I'd rather stay that way."

Dalton had reinforcements from other villages, or another of the island's independent defenders had checked out the situation. That's how I rationalized that extra ping on my devil's radar. It made me glad I'd specifically instructed Carue to "stand guard over the pirate ship, no matter what." He could handle wandering villagers, even if they had guns.

Like kids, Usopp and Luffy played around during the hike. The long-nosed dumbass swore he saw a talking monster, but it turned out to be a harmless white hiking bear. We bowed respectfully as we passed. Weighing in at nearly a ton and are twice my height, hiking bears are gentle creatures provided you don't startle them.

Upon our arrival, Dalton assured his villagers we were harmless, and allowed us into his home. We put Nami into the bed. The more irresponsible crew members built snowmen outside, and Dalton told us about Kureha, the 140-year old ancient Doctor-witch.

Some details were new to me, but it was obvious Kureha's home was our destination. Right now, she lived on the castle on top of the mountain known as Drum Rocky. I was definitely going. Staying with Dalton would infect me with his non-paramecia power. Part of me desperately wanted to embrace that fatal uncertainty, but I controlled myself.

The toughest decision on whether to go or stay fell clearly onto Sanji. He could go with Luffy and I, which included two females, or he could stay with Beth (who hated the cold) and Usopp in a cozy winter retreat. Whatever Beth whispered convinced Sanji. He stayed behind.

"Let's go Vivi!" Luffy shouted, as he and I set out toward the mountain at a sprint, Nami tied securely to his back. Almost, I wished Carue had come with us; he'd have made a great beast of burden.

We ran into the hills, and it became colder and snowier. I noticed a small rabbit with large teeth following us, and surreptitiously kicked it away when it tried biting me. But then a large group of bear-sized fanged rabbits appeared in front of us.

"Ah, polar bears." Luffy misidentified the Lapahn, or Rapan, or whatever Dalton had called the local carnivores. I didn't care enough to correct him.

"There's only about a hundred of them, but because of Nami, only one of us can fight. If you get too vigorous, she'll get jostled and hurt. It might kill her, as weak as she is now. Run for the top of the mountain. I'll cover everything; I can handle it."

One of the rabbit-bears jumped at me, and while I didn't have super-strength, I easily redirected the attacker's muzzle through a pine tree. These guys had power and speed, but my Kung-Fu outclassed them. I took a stance, stretched my shoulders.

Then all of the monster rabbits jumped us simultaneously, and we started running for the forest up on the mountain. "Tornado Devish!" I yelled as they swarmed, tossing them left and right, protecting Nami. If Luffy was surprised by my skill, he didn't show it, but he also never made an attack of his own. I estimated I could defend for about ninety minutes.

After ten minutes of running combat, during which I wounded two dozen creatures enough for them to give up, we heard a series of distant explosions. The attacks stopped. The rabbit-bears disappeared, back into their burrows or caves or wherever they laired. Thirty seconds later we found out why, as the avalanche came at us. We dashed away from it.

"Vivi, what do we do?"

"Protect Nami, while not dying ourselves."

"How?"

I looked around desperately, and saw a terrain feature that might save us.

"That cliff! There! The avalanche will break around it." I took off, running as fast as I could. Somehow, Luffy was right beside me.

We were indeed safe from the avalanche, which split around the outcropping, though the snow was so high, we had to climb a tree to avoid being washed away. Thankfully the trunk held. What we were unprepared for though, was the giant carnivorous rabbit-bears skating on the avalanche and tossing boulders at us.

One of their boulders was on target in their brief opportunity, for the fast moving snow swept the animals down the mountain and out of range.

I had no choice. I let go of the pine tree and jumped, adjusting my weight, speeding my rotation, calling on my winds. I had not mastered Rankyaku, one of Rokushiki, also called the Tempest Kick. I could not produce enough force for a slicing vacuum. But my imperfect void projectile attack was enough to deflect the boulder away from Luffy and Nami and leave a respectable dent on it's surface.

Dreadfully out of position from generating the blast, opposing physical forces pushed me back. Momentum. I maneuvered my body upright in mid-air and reduced my weight, drifting gracefully down on top of the continuing avalanche. Instead of getting pulled under, I snow-surfed, barely balanced. Beth's weight ability helped me not sink into the flowing snow.

"Get Nami medical attention, this won't kill me!" Whether Luffy heard me, I don't know. It required my full concentration to balance on the unstable movement of the rushing snow, while dodging trees and large boulders. After finding a rhythm, I examined the coming obstacles and grabbed a tree branch on this absolutely huge pine, and then waited the rest of the disaster out.

As the snow passed below my perch, my bullet-grazed arm started hurting. A medium pain. I may have aggravated my wound by tossing those damn gargantuan bunnies around.

Waiting five minutes for the snow to settle, I jumped down, flinched as the landing jolted my arm, and started moving up the mountain. I found Luffy, still with Nami on his back, pulling a killer rabbit out from a snow pile. A baby toothed bunny immediately climbed into the arms of the 'rescued' creature.

They saw me about the same time Luffy did, but rather than attack, the rabbits left.

"I told you I'd be fine. Let's go."

Luffy grinned. "Ah, so you did."

Some time later, we encountered the base of the mountain pillar known as Drum Rocky. Luffy immediately wanted to climb, but I knew I my wounded arm would have a terrible time supporting my weight. Plus, what if something or someone attacked while we struggled for toeholds against the mountain's sheer surface?

When I shared my concerns with Luffy, he didn't understand.

"What else can we do, but go up?" As if this settled the matter, Luffy proceeded to take off his sandals, balance Nami on his back, and stuff his footwear in his mouth. He mumbled around his sandals 'Dn werry Nomi, ockto sen' which I took to mean Nami would soon see a doctor.

"Stop, Luffy. If I can't make you understand with words, I'll just have to show you." I stepped away from both of them, and released one of my peacock slashers, using only my uninjured arm. With my other hand, I braced the attacking arm and whipped the cable expertly against the rock face. A smooth line of stone crumbled, creating what looked like a small stone shelf.

Luffy shrugged. I resisted the urge scream at his ignorance. It was really my fault for holding my powers secret, a habit I cultivate. Still, because I liked Nami and needed this crew, revealing my capabilities was an easy decision.

"That is a handhold ledge. If you put Nami down, and throw me up the cliff, I can make them. Provided you can gently stretch up, I can tie a brace for Nami and myself with my slasher cables, and we can save hours of climbing time."

"But when I throw you, you'll fall back down." Ah, the obvious.

"I've spent years training, and while I can't perform the Geppo technique well enough to walk on air, I can control my fall, no matter how high, if a sturdy mountain side or wall is near me. Now make Nami comfortable in snow-free area, and let's do this. Toss me up, I'll make a handhold, drift down and land on the brace. Then stretch up to the handhold with me on Nami's brace and toss me again. We'll probably only need to do it twenty or thirty times, and it'll go fast."

My plan worked, despite heavy winds and snow near the top areas. The weather was in a short lull after the avalanche; it would get much worse shortly after we finished the climb, a full-blown snowstorm. If we'd gone Luffy's slower way, snow-gales would have pounded us during the upper ascent.

I admit I was uneasy being close to a devil fruit user who had an 'unabsorbed' power that could potentially cripple me. But I'd internalized enough paramecia already that whatever mechanism my mysterious ability operated by didn't force an involuntary transfer. It made me extra stressed, extra focused. I'd hyper-extended joints and over-stretched muscles while training my Kung Fu, and I was really scared what would happen if suddenly my skin stretched but my muscles and bones didn't. Or if suddenly my bones stretched and my skin remained constant.

Luffy didn't catch my uneasiness, or if he did, thought it was only concern for crew member.

Ten minutes and we scaled the mountainside. When we got to the top, I had Luffy throw me, only to pass straight through a snow bank that looked deceptively like solid ground. I didn't panic. I simply controlled my fall, all the way down Drum Rocky. I did cheat the Geppo; normal disciples can't adjust their weight or adjust their mid-positioning with small wind blasts. As I passed by a surprised Luffy, perched against my highest ledge, I yelled for him to go down for Nami. He reached the bottom before me, using a weird technique he called the 'Gum Gum Balloon'. It made him look like an expanded puffer fish.

At the bottom of the cliff, I secured Nami against me with slasher cables, and tied us both against the wooden travois Luffy had been using to carry her. Thirtyish careful stretches later, we arrived at the top of the mountain, with extra care in avoiding summit snow.

Then we walked into the castle. No one was home. We yelled out "Doctor" for like ten minutes before we settled Nami in a bed and raided the kitchen. Perhaps if we'd have been caught in the avalanche, or if Luffy had spent hours using only his fingers and toes against the cliff of Drum Rocky, Dr. Kureha might have been waiting for us.

Instead, upon her return, she thought we were thieves.


	8. Vivid8 War Drums

"_War Drums"_

* * *

"Don't worry Doctorine, I'll save you from these thieves!" The small tanuki-like creature with antlers triggered a huge surge of my 'power radar' and it paralyzed me like a heady full-body caress. It didn't look like I'd be escaping from this Zoan user; my years of careful avoidance wasted.

I froze, or my powers forced me to freeze. Even now, I'm not sure which is more true. Now a huge-man like conglomeration of muscleman and furry deer, the Zoan-user grabbed my throat and I felt the energies flow. I may have moaned indecently. Tears came, not from pain. I was crushed I'd have antlers coming out of my head, forever a freak.

The paralyzation passed. Depression choked me, worse than the hand squeezing my neck. I wanted the world to explode and dissolve me. I wanted a do-over. But we don't always get what we want.

Fainting is for stupid women who want someone else to save them. I didn't faint. Instead, with blurry vision and the sound of tears fizzling against my lips, I forced my injured arm around the grip, kicked the deer-ogre in the stomach, and was almost in position for a debilitating joint lock. But the Zoan user swallowed something, yelled "Defense Point!" and turned into a bristly fur ball.

Not sure what my next move would be, I simply backed off, into a corner of the luxurious stateroom we'd clashed inside, near the mounted head of a lion.

"Stop it Chopper! These are patients." Dr. Kureha had discovered Nami, and called her pet from the bedroom, but for me, it was too late. Chastened, my opponent turned back into his (her?) cute form and promptly hid behind the legs of its master as she entered the castle room I'd been relaxing in. Perhaps mistaking my tears for that of pain, Dr. Kureha immediately opened my jacket and starting prodding the arm where I'd been shot hours ago.

"Sloppy bandaging, but at least it was tight. You did something to worsen the wound. Needs stitches. Don't worry, I'll fix you up too."

She did, and it hurt like hell. Kureha believed anesthetic was overrated.

"Don't use the arm in vigorous activity for seven days, or you'll reopen the cut." Warned the Doctor, when she finished.

"What about Nami?"

"The girl in my bed? She was bitten in the abdominal muscles under her left breast by a presumed extinct and highly poisonous tropical insect called Ketsuia Casha. If untreated, the venom liquefies the internal organs and boils the blood of the victim. Chopper is seeing to her treatment; it was close, but she'll be fine. Now rest."

Dr. Kureha covered me in a blanket on the large purple velvet loveseat near the stateroom's fireplace. She put additional wood into the crackling flames, before walking out of the room. Shortly, I fell asleep. I was too exhausted and overwrought to check myself for Zoan-related morphogenesis changes.

Peace filled my world, until it was broken.

"Reindeer, join my crew!" The shout dispelled my pleasant dream of flying, using Soru from the Rokushiki, over caramel sands. A small animal hoof jabbed into a sensitive part of my groin jolted me back into reality. It wasn't on purpose; I'd become an obstacle.

The doctor's pet, wearing a pink tophat adorned with a white medical X, played 'keep away' with my pirate captain, going around, over, and under the loveseat I'd been sleeping on. I was stepped on four more times before I knocked the animal off of me with my good arm. It fled the room.

"Luffy, don't chase in here, I'm resting." I groaned.

"Sorry Vivi." Said Luffy. Two seconds later he remembered why he'd come into the room. "You won't get away from me!" He continued chasing that poor animal.

"Waaaaaargh…. I don't want to be a pirate; I'm a doctor!" The small talking(?) creature called from the hallway, leading Luffy away. I sighed. It was no good; I was awake. Time to find a mirror, and figure out the Zoan ability I'd be stuck with for the rest of my life.

After using the toilet in the washroom, I couldn't find a single change, ignoring the hoof print fading from my forehead. Dreading the necessity, I triggered the power I'd recently absorbed, and absolutely nothing happened. To say this frustrated me was an understatement.

Following the sound of screaming, I managed to catch the little guy in a blanket without directly touching. He stopped struggling when I whispered I'd hide him, and slipped into Nami's room. She looked asleep, with a bag of ice resting on her forehead, held by a rope-like contraption.

Even as I carefully put the strange zoan user down, I felt another, weaker transfer spike of ability when his hoof brushed the back of my wrist hanging in the sling. I supposed it was too late to worry anymore.

Keeping my voice low, I introduced myself. "Hello, I'm Vivi. Could you please tell me exactly what fruit you ate, and why you can change forms?"

"Ar-aren't you scared of me? I'm a monster. I have a blue nose!" He whispered it, well aware Nami was asleep.

I too, spoke softly. "And I have silver lips. That doesn't make me a monster. What makes men into monsters are the dark corners of their hearts. You strike me as one who chooses to heal, rather than hurt, little one. That isn't a monster."

The creature grinned and blushed and did a strange swaying dance. "Telling me I'm not a monster won't make me like you, asshole!" Then the zoan user remembered an introduction. "My name is Tony Tony Chopper, and I'm a doctor. A long time ago I was a reindeer. I ate the Human Human Fruit, and my herd rejected me. Doctorine has been training me, and I can change into more forms with a special medicine I made, the 'Rumble Ball'." He held up a large yellow gumball-like pill.

"Don't let Luffy scare you. It's your decision. You can join us, tour the oceans of the world, have adventures, and refine your talents. You can also stay here and continue studying with your Doctorine. Please know though, that I'd happy to be your Nakama." Gently, I patted the pink cap on Chopper's head, and quietly left after checking Nami. She looked both peaceful and weary.

Tony Tony Chopper didn't follow me.

Inside, I was bursting. Giddy. The fruit of humanity! I'd read of it when I was eleven years old, dreaming that someday I could meet and befriend the person who'd eaten it. A childhood fantasy that sustained me during my hell of fatigue. With a touch, my troubles involving compatibilities and mysterious compulsions would vanish.

Reality, as usual, didn't match fantasy, but as I fought to keep from radiating undue joy, a major phobia of mine vanished. If I kept absorbing the quality of 'Humanity' from Chopper, I'd never become a zoan-based abomination. I might even avoid death-by-logia. The smile wouldn't leave my face, and already that poor reindeer had become a friend. He'd saved my life.

Too worked up to rest, I wandered the castle until Dr. Kureha came and collected me. Nami was awake, and so, story time. As Luffy and Chopper played the hide-and-seek version of the 'become-my-Nakama' game, we women gossiped about ancient history. Specifically, Dr. Hiluluk's impossible dream of healing Drum Country, and how it related with Tony Tony Chopper.

In my travels, I'd heard about and directly witnessed hundreds of pirate flags. All of them symbols. The flag flying above Drum Castle, a skull with cherry blossoms (that I first mistook as pink reindeer hoof prints) symbolized miraculous healing. A doctor's flag. Such a contrast against the usual skulls of death, destruction, debauchery, and right-by-might. Luffy's flag only meant 'fun', and though it symbolized a reunion, comradeship through a Straw Hat, even that personal journey paled against Hiluluk's audacity in healing a collective psyche. Even as a ruler of men, a princess, a part of me felt humbled against that sentiment.

Isshi-20. Dr. Kureha mentioned them, and I remembered being told as a child of Drum's wonderful, famous cadre of doctors. Their downfall, a mere footnote in Hiluluk's tale, connected with the diplomatic history of Drum Island I'd been forced into memorizing as a royal child.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, he's here! Wapol is here!" Chopper screeched into the sick room, hysterical.

"Well, I'm going." I said.

The old woman whapped me on the back of my head. "Don't use your wounded arm."

I frowned at her. "It will more difficult, but I'll try fighting without it." I left the room, and heard Nami explaining to Dr. Kureha and Chopper my stubborn foolishness wasn't new behavior.

Making sure my sling was tight, I reached the entrance about the same time Luffy did. Outside in the snow, approaching the castle leisurely, were two long-haired mountain hippos, one ridden by Wapol, and the other holding two henchmen. The henchmen looked male, but I'd been tricked by Okama before, so I had my doubts about the weird-lipped person in the jester costume.

The entire world fell away, as I concentrated. Wapol and one of his henchmen were paramecia, and two more paramecia and a zoan were rapidly approaching our location. One of those fruit users had an extra strong signature; I'd never felt it before. My focus narrowed. Luffy and Wapol were exchanging insults, and his two henchmen had dismounted, getting ready.

It wasn't a Soru, but I gave my best speed, using every trick with weight and winds that I knew. My movement worked. The afro-haired paramecia henchman was off guard, unprepared.

"Shigan." I said, thrusting a finger on my good arm through his neck.

Before the first guy could fall, I was already in the face of the jester-archer whose gender I did not know.

"Shigan." I said.

I breathed out a deep breath, which turned into misty vapor in the winter temperature outside. My attack run was successful. Both of my enemies were dying, fallen in the snow. I shook their blood from my extended finger. Slowly, I walked back toward the gates of the castle, keeping my eye on Wapol.

Whatever pre-combat banter that had been happening between Luffy and King Hippo ceased. Dr. Kureha and Chopper also appeared outside, not fast enough to witness my attack, but they saw me walking back.

"Kuromarimo, Chess, how could you fail so badly! Get up for round two!" Wapol's anger disturbed me as he swallowed his own men and chewed. Cannibalism is so distasteful.

Then he spat out a strange conglomeration of his former henchmen, looking twice as mean. "Go Chessmarimo." Wapol ordered, pointing at me. He said more, but I didn't pay attention. I heard her laughter.

"Ya-ha-ha-ha! One thousand. Five thousand! Ten thousand! Kilo-Kilo Press!" Miss Valentine dropped down and created a large crater in the landscape, knocking more snow off the mountain edges. Poor Chessmarimo didn't even get a single word or attack in.

"Hey Beth." I waved with my good arm.

A strange, sadistic voice interrupted her return greeting. "Ah, ah, ah… I'm late. You started without me. I should have taken a hippo and not one of these outdated vehicles." A poncy bearded man with bubble-gum pink hair, orange pants, and a royal purple cape stepped out a three-wheeled snow mobile, that had somehow ascended the mountain. As if to show it who was boss, he kicked his ride. It fell over. He wore a dead white weasel wrapped around his shoulders, and sported a black eyemask like a burglar, or a duke at a royal costumed ball. The dangerous feeling of strange paramecia came from him.

"Prince Musshuru, the prisoner and poisoner." Said Dr. Kureha.

"Brother, help me!" Said Wapol. "This is what I freed you for."

"Mushushushu!" Laughed the new guy. An egocentric and contemptible laugh, a pun on his own name. Already, I didn't like him.

Another two of the strange tri-wheel snow vehicles appeared in our snowy mountaintop battle arena. This time I paid attention, and noted they traveled up immense rope-like cables. Dalton and Zorro slowly opened the doors of one, while from the other, Usopp was violently ejected. Five seconds later a mighty kick from Sanji sent the vehicle flying directly at Wapol. He opened his mouth greedily, wide enough to swallow it.

Unfortunately for Wapol, Sanji had jumped onto the back of the vehicle after he sent it airborne. With Wapol's mouth occupied, the cook jumped off his projectile and kicked Wapol from behind in the neck, shoulders, lower back, and knees, and finished with a strong jumping kick from above. I heard him speak "Collier, Épaule, Sélle, Gigot", and finally "Mutton Shot!" Wapol was unconscious, with half a snowmobile protruding from his ridiculously stretched open mouth. One of the wheels was still spinning.

When Luffy went flying past me and made a crater in the castle's stone wall around the shape of his body, I realized 'Prince' Musshuru was strong. Stronger than expected. Three seconds later I agitated my wound when I caught Beth, knocked out by a single punch, before she could also splatter against unyielding stone. Beth was not made of rubber; she'd have burst apart like a blood-filled melon.

This guy was fast!

I'd thought Wapol was it. He'd been a personal childhood terror, hurting me terribly in silver-tinged nightmares. This stronger underling surprised me, for Wapol's evil personality inspired murderous rebellions, not loyalty. Perhaps the magenta-haired fop really was his brother.

As Musshuru came for Sanji, the chef did a series of back flips for space, keeping his balance on the winter snow by using the protruding rocky edge of Chessmarinor's crater while gathering momentum. As Musshuru came at him, he yelled "Troisième Haché" and kicked rapidly at his attacker's face.

Somehow, Musshuru dodged every kick and Sanji went flying at the castle wall. He crashed into Luffy, emerging from his body crater, with such force that both men were sent completely through the thick stone wall.

That speed was comparable to Soru. It was like no Shave Technique I'd seen or read of before, but it was effective. It brought to mind a passage of the singular slim manual on the Six Great Arts I'd managed to find and memorize, one that only dealt with philosophies. It contained no technique diagrams or training methodology.

"…_If you find the externals and procedure of any Tekkai identical to another, know that one of them is an imitation. Only children like things always the same. Disciples who express surprise at differences and inconsistencies between personal techniques have not realized the Path is followed by effective means, and not by 'sameness'… "  
_

The Tekkai yet eluded me. My Soru wasn't as fast as the awesome example before me, and Musshuru wasn't using the Soru I'd observed in Marines. He had achieved great speed without knowing of the Rokushiki. A natural prodigy. If I could survive this encounter, I'd learn a great deal.

Wincing, I placed Beth next to Dr. Kureha. Chopper examined her and announced, "It's a concussion. Her sleeping isn't a good sign."

"If we wake her up, she'll go charging back into fighting. I think letting her be is the better option." As Kureha arranged Beth's position to minimize the chances of a fatal stroke, Dalton came running. He handed two small vials of pink liquid marked 'antidote' off, before turning into an Ox-man and charging Musshuru, unsheathing the sharpened snow spade from the back holster on his winter coat.

Dalton was also a one-punch wonder.

"Come one, come all! Mushushushu!" Our opponent crossed his arms, beckoned at Chopper, then Zoro. Usopp had hidden himself somewhere, or perhaps ran off. No one moved. Seconds passed. "This is getting boring, Oi. I wanted to be fair about it and only destroy you with physical force, but I'm trembling with desires to really cut loose. I'll start with that disgusting flag, unfit for Drum Castle. Try and stop me, Oi."

"Shade Dance!" A salvo of pinkish bullets erupted from Musshuru's outstretched hand, chewing up the stone side of the tallest tower. The cone-like tower top shattered and pirate flag with the pink cherry blossoms on it fell. Additional projectiles hit the flag in mid-air.

Chopper screamed and ate a yellow medicine ball. "Jumping Point!" He managed to catch the flag before it hit the ground, but the now tattered fabric contained over a dozen holes leading through the middle in a straight line. A strong wind would rip it in half.

Luffy reappeared, walking out of the new entrance in the castle walls. He looked at Chopper carefully folding Hilulik's damaged flag near Beth's unconscious form and lost his typical smile. Walking out next to him, Sanji, blood running down from a cut in his forehead, lit a cigarette.

Meanwhile, Zoro, who had removed his winter hat and tied a dark green bandana around his head, was slashing at Musshuru with all three of is swords. The hands of Musshuru's arms were now brownish spinning drills, and even as Zoro used fancy slashes, he was pushed back. Sparks flew as katanas met whirring edges.

I watched closely, engraving the economy of motion into my mind.

"Enough of this, you're persistent, but not at my level, Oi." Musshuru pushed Zoro back twenty feet with a double drill slam, and breathed out a huge cloud of poisonous purple spores.

"Tatsu-maki!" Screamed Zoro, spinning his swords, before the cloud could swallow him. A tornado-like wind sucked the poison up into the air, and down the mountain-side, away from us.

Chopper had changed into a normal looking man with absolutely huge biceps, and with all his might he thrust a hoof-hand at the back of Musshuru's head while the twister raged. Without even looking back, the former Prince kicked Chopper in the stomach, sending him flying at the castle walls.

Luffy caught him.

"Marimo, this guy is too strong for one-on-one. We need teamwork." Sanji walked back onto the battlefield, nonchalant, smoking.

Putting Chopper down, close for a scolding my Kureha, Luffy looked at Musshuru said, "You aren't worthy to end such a magnificent flag. The life you've lead doesn't approach the significance of it's tiniest threads!" Cracking his knuckles, Luffy also walked back onto the battlefield.

"Yes, that's more like it, Oi! All of you come at me at once, you might have a chance then, Oi." Musshuru actually allowed them to surround him in a triangular formation. So stupid! He wanted to fight more than he wanted to win. This told me either Mussy-boy was battle mad, or he'd already evaluated Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy and assessed their collective danger level as something he could handle.

That last one scared me.

In big-guy form, Chopper dragged a groggy Ox-Dalton over next to Beth. His pupils were dilated as Dr. Kureha examined him, but Dalton managed to sit up on his own. The zoan users would only be in the way of the main fight. They stayed back. I felt a weak pull from Dalton, indicating I could absorb and permanently mimic his ability, but no longer felt an uncomfortable compulsion.

Then the three-on-one clash started, and one of the first things Musshuru did was create a large number of mushroom-like clones of himself, which he could somehow manipulate. Periodically, he'd release a large cloud of purple miasma, forcing Zoro to break off and use a tornado. Luffy stretched creatively, but missed with his attacks. The wind-up of his arms moving behind his back was too big a tell for someone as fast as Musshuru.

Essentially, my comrades were being played with.

"Hey, Drum Island team." I addressed Kureha, Chopper, and Dalton, not taking my eyes off the lopsided battle. "Does this guy have any weaknesses?"

"Fire." Said Dalton. "He's weak against fire."

That didn't help. I had no powers which produced fire, and neither did Beth.

"Really?" Said Usopp's voice. It came from the unstable Luffy-sized crater-passage into the castle. "I have five fire bullets."

"In thirty seconds, Musshuru will create another poison cloud. You should have a three second window when he's standing in one place. Be quick and shoot well."

As I predicted, a combination of Sanji's kicks and Zoro's swords pressed Musshuru harshly. Luffy was no longer an issue, as whenever he wound up for a Gomu-Gomu something, he was tossed into a teammate. Truly, a masterful combat.

"Ultimate Secret Technique - Firebird Star!" Usopp's bullet flew true. Surprised by being on fire as he readied a flammable cloud, Musshuru's guard totally dropped. He was slashed, kicked, and hit by a stretchy punch Luffy called the 'Rifle'.

This sent him rolling through a snow bank and put out the flames. When he stood up, Musshuru was angry. The dead animal he'd worn as a scarf was gone, slashed in half and consumed by fire. His clothing had holes in it, and his part of his pink hair had burned down to his scalp.

"I'm through playing around, Oi! You guys are done." Musshuru disappeared, faster than I could follow. Sanji was punched so hard that he went flying off the edge of the mountain. Both Zoro and Luffy were kicked into craters on the ground, and as they rose, Musshuru thrust his arms out. "Doubling Running Hypha!"

Strange dark spores rumbled through the ground, toward the depressions he'd put Zoro and Luffy into. As both men struggled upright, the attack burst underneath, trapping them in malformed fungal crucifixes. Another dark purple poison cloud was emitted, and I could not create wind. I didn't try; they were too far away for my limited ability (nowhere near the tornado Zoro used) and it happened too fast.

I sighed. "Usopp, I'll make an opening. Burn him, and please don't shout the technique name until *after* the fireball hits, if you must announce."

"But Vivi, it's part of my master plan." Said Usopp. He may have said more, but I was already moving, my stitched up arm free of the sling.

A common assumption by amateurs is the fundamental technique connecting all six arts together is Soru. That's wrong. Sure, when you master Rokushiki, Soru lets you actually put together attack strings and is just made for showing off. But the connecting basic technique is Tekkai, "Iron Mass", for body hardening. If your body isn't toned and rigid, you won't have the ankle strength for Soru, the finger strength for Shigan, the leg strength for Rankyaku, the abdominal strength for Geppo, or the flexibility for Kami-e. The combat form of Tekkai means you can't move, but the intermediate form is necessary for progression in everything.

In terms of the Six Arts, my Tekkai sucked. It limited my Soru's speed, stopped my Rankyaku from actually cutting, and didn't let me actually move upwards with Geppo. I'd noted with greater power came a loss of flexibility, and flexibility was the key to the Kami-e, the infinite dodge, called 'Paper Drawing' for the origami-like contortions. For this reason, intermediate disciples rarely used the Kami-e. Mine was exceptional, based on Kung-Fu, grappling moves, and other martial arts I'd studied. I'm sure it was nothing like the Marines used, but the principle was identical.

To advance my Paper Drawing further required an improvement in my speed, probably from improving my Soru, but to do that I'd need to improve my Tekkai, which would weaken my Paper Drawing. Then I'd need intense retraining, which might weaken other arts temporarily. Much of mastering the Rokushiki consisted of similar tradeoffs.

Even though Musshuru was faster, I'd been intently studying his movements.

I waited until he was next to Wapol and used my best not-quite-Soru, appearing before him. I didn't want a revived Wapol, and was fine with missed blows, super-strong blows, hitting King Hippo. Those were more likely to keep him down than restore his consciousness.

"Shigan." I said. Thrusting a finger directly at Musshuru's burned neck.

He dodged, and giving up the very pretense of trying to attack, I fell into my Paper Drawing, allowing his return super-punch to hit Wapol, redirecting momentum when his hands became drills, dodging a swarm of pink bullets that burst against Wapol's body armor. This was a 'buying time' exercise. For all his speed, Musshuru's attack patterns lacked formal training and imagination.

"Brother, wake up and help me hit this bitch! Oi!" Mussruru started deliberately aiming for Wapol, and I noted he'd reduced the force of his blows.

I got this new timing down. "Shigan." Oh, he dodged, but not completely. A crimson line traced itself across his cheeck, and tore a line through his black eyemask, dropping it from his face, but Musshuru didn't notice or didn't care. I heard Wapol groan behind me.

'Now would be a good time, Usopp.' I thought to myself.

My confidence in defeating this opponent was nil. His speed and power were both better than mine, but his attacks were uncreative and linear, an advantage barely covered by our differences in skill. Musshuru had also realized this, and I understood he could break both me and my guard easily. But he'd never seen anything like my Paper Drawing before, and before he defeated me, he wanted to memorize it. To steal it for himself. Standard procedure for battle veterans fighting weaker opponents with good tricks. He was that type of guy.

A crunching sound followed by a burp indicated Wapol was up, and had finished the snow mobile from earlier. My Kami-e was degrading as Musshuru realized this too and resumed his full speed, pushing me beyond the limits of my body. I felt blood tricking down my wounded arm.

Well, if one plan fails, make another.

"Yo, flaming mushroom flamingo," I panted on the ragged edge of my stamina and spat in his face. Apparently not realizing my saliva was a caustic weapon, he didn't stop it, and my spittle began eating his skin. Very painful.

Screaming in rage and defiance, Musshuru's attacks sharpened, and I dodged a stream of pink projectiles that came from his hair. Spores formed on his face, flowed and eased much of the acidic damage. Wapol wasn't so lucky. This time the poisonous bullets hit his exposed skin.

"Brother, why did you poison me? It burns!"

The pressure came off. The battle paused. "You know I lose track of myself when I'm having fun, Oi. It's your own fault for not paying attent-"

This retort was cut off as Musshuru exploded in a firebomb. Before anything else could happen, Wapol grabbed his flaming brother, swallowed him, and then swallowed a great deal of his own body. He chewed.

"Super Menacing Phoenix Blossom - Direct Hit!" Yelled Usopp from somewhere behind us.

I backed away, watching Chopper empty a pink vial into the poisoned and mushroom-imprisoned mouth of Zorro. Dr. Kureha did the same for Luffy. My wounded arm throbbed. My stitches had broken. I applied pressure with my free hand.

Changing form, a new being emerged from Wapol's lips, a giant sized super-fat Wapol with immunity to killer poison, wearing Musshuru's full beard without his facial damage. This new combo looked like an overdone child's robot toy, incorporating cannons, strange pipes, and a dial on the stomach, lit in multi-colors with a mushroom pointer. The combined Drum Island royalty had massed up so much that Musshuru's earlier super speed was no longer possible. So I hoped.

"You stupid hippos dare defy the United Emperor of Drum Island this far! I'll show you all, Oi! Let the entire island fall under a delicious blanket of poison, just like ten years ago!" The dial on Robo-Hippo's stomach began moving, and ticking sounds came from inside the strange body.

Keeping on eye out for attacks, my careful retreat ended near Beth and Dalton. I noted a shivering Sanji approaching from the mountain's edge. Somehow he'd caught himself, perhaps on one of the giant cables. He looked like snow-covered frostbite.

The stomach timer counted down. Luffy, then Zoro broke free from their crucifixes, cured of poison, ready for the fight. A ding and a villian's laugh signaled the end, as Emperor Hippo grunted fiercely, ejecting a purple cannon ball from the larger pipe in his back.

Luffy picked up Zoro, and threw him into the air at it. With precision, Zoro sliced the strange cannon ball in half, releasing a purple poison cloud high above us. Three flaming missiles hit the middle and ends of the spreading cloud, cleansing it with fire.

"Triple Sure Kill Firebird Star!" Yelled Usopp about as loud as he possibly could, obviously realizing he'd saved us all.

Cracking his knuckles, Luffy approached the gigantic being. Zoro landed neatly beside him, then fell over. Had his legs or ankles been wounded?

Luffy stalked over to his giant-sized enemy, who was frozen from the failure of what may have been an ultimate attack. "Gomu Gomu Storm." Luffy said flatly, finishing the fight.

He stretched his fists hundreds of times, and a swam of damage descend upon what Wapol had become. In no time, the former King fell over like a toppled tree, unconscious. This brought up the question of what to do with the defeated.

The combination of henchmen, Chessmarimo, was pronounced dead of poisoning. Part of Musshuru's many gas attacks had covered the crater he'd occupied. Wapol's fate was trickier. Long ago, Musshuru had been imprisoned for killing an entire village on Drum Island by poison. This obviously hadn't worked, as he'd returned. Terms like 'regicide' and 'justice' were tossed about, but finally the King Hippo Combo was taken to the ocean by Dalton, and pushed off a cliff with the help of many villagers. This time, none of his men saved him.

He did not surface from the sea.

I only heard that later, for the Straw Hat pirates were in no shape to travel or fight. We collected around the South Ballroom in Drum Castle, on the other side of the castle, untouched by battle damage. It had a velvet rug and suits of armor along the walls. The twin fireplaces burned high and bright. We were all in bandages, and forced to pay attention.

With displeasure, Dr. Kureha lectured us. "Pulled out my careful stitches, two weeks." She pointed at me, and I sighed. "Stupid enough to cut open his own legs, and they got infected. Also mild wrist spraining from too many tornados and lingering poison. Two weeks of rest without touching a sword." Zoro met her eyes and looked away swiftly, embarrassed. "Severe frostbite on hands, no cooking for five days." Sanji hung his head. "Concussion, strong, one week bed rest, no strenuous physical activity including seduction." Beth frowned but didn't argue. "Poorly healing rib injury, two and a half weeks." Usopp nodded, not disturbed at slacking off. "Residual poisoning, two days." Luffy laughed. "And finally, fatal disease recovery, ten days." Nami frowned and looked at the log pose on her arm. "You people aren't going anywhere for a while."

"But we need to leave! If we don't the Log will set itself and we'll mess up our journey." Protested Nami.

"Put our hyper-active captain on Carue, strap the Log Pose to his arm so he absolutely can't lose it, and have them go out beyond Drum Island's magnetic field. Carue can run on the ocean. The pose's attunement will be ruined, and we'll get extra time here for recovering." I explained.

That's what we did.

That night, Chopper and Dalton (who didn't even have concussion, how unfair was that!) launched Dr. Hiluluk's legacy from the cannons on Drum Castle's ramparts. To celebrate the final overthrow of Drum Empire, to celebrate our new crew's doctor. They found the pyrotechnics breathtaking, and while I understood the meaning behind the gesture, healing the people's hearts with mythical sakura, it reminded me far too much of Dance Powder in pink. The color of red blood diluted in rainwater.

Arabasta's problems weighed upon mind.

So we would be late for my revolution? I'd rather have a full strength fighting force than rushed and hurting comrades. Perhaps events might have been different if we didn't take the time for healing, but life is full of 'what ifs'.

The culmination of my years of training, the challenge of facing one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, awaited me in my homeland. My personal war.

* * *

_Temporary Author's Note_: Fixed small problems with ch 7, mostly names. The next arc is Arabasta, and I believe it is perhaps the most challenging arc to write in the entire story. Why? The way she is now, if Vivi gets within 40 feet of Smoker or within 10 feets of Fire Fist Ace, she dies. (She has a plan for handling Crocodile, but it is useless against the other two.) Vivi's abilities will force her into contact with the Logia (smoke from a cigar counts in Smoker's case) and it would kill her. Rest in Peace. Bad End. The two week plot delay is needed because there was no good way for her to avoid contact with either of these characters in the traditional chain of events. However, with the extra time, Crocodile's plans will also advance… so the Arabasta arc will be different. It may be some time before I can think up a good story solution that doesn't actually kill Vivi, so that next update may be a while. Just letting you readers know. On the other hand, I have most of Thriller Bark done, half of Enies Lobby done, and I know what happens at both Sky Island and Shabondy. Arabasta is the point where I'm slightly stuck. That's how it is. Feel free to encourage me with reviews.


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